Aggravated by human and industrial activities, environmental pollution has become a severe problem, causing widespread concern in society, and cannot be ignored. The problem of heavy metal pollution is particularly prominent. Therefore, environmental researchers need to find a rapid method to detect heavy metal ions. In this thesis, graphene/noble nanoparticles-modified electrodes are proposed and successfully applied for the high-performance detection of heavy metal ions using electrochemical technology.

In Chapter 1, a concise overview of heavy metal ions and the relevant works by others in the detection of heavy metals by various techniques is introduced.

In Chapter 2, we describe a facile electrochemical method to fabricate graphene and Au nanoparticle (NP)-coated electrode...[ Read more ]

Aggravated by human and industrial activities, environmental pollution has become a severe problem, causing widespread concern in society, and cannot be ignored. The problem of heavy metal pollution is particularly prominent. Therefore, environmental researchers need to find a rapid method to detect heavy metal ions. In this thesis, graphene/noble nanoparticles-modified electrodes are proposed and successfully applied for the high-performance detection of heavy metal ions using electrochemical technology.

In Chapter 1, a concise overview of heavy metal ions and the relevant works by others in the detection of heavy metals by various techniques is introduced.

In Chapter 2, we describe a facile electrochemical method to fabricate graphene and Au nanoparticle (NP)-coated electrodes. The presence of graphene and AuNPs enhances the performance of these modified electrodes. An AuNP/rGO/GCE(SPCE) was fabricated by in-situ electroreduction and electrodeposition with CV and i-t. The electrochemical performance of this modified electrode was determined by the concentration of Hg²⁺ under optimal conditions.

In Chapter 3, a gold amalgam and graphene-modified electrode (Hg/Au/rGO/GCE) was developed and employed to detect Pb²⁺. However, this modified electrode cannot detect various heavy metal ions simultaneously, thus, some improvements were put forward in Chapter 4.

In Chapter 4, we present an in-situ mercury film-coated graphene-based glassy carbon electrode (Hg/rGO/GCE). The electrode was prepared and applied for selective and sensitive electrochemical detection of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ simultaneously with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Finally, in the concluding chapter, the achievements of this thesis are summarized some future works are presented.