Development of an electrochemical sensor utilizing MWCNs-poly(2-aminothiophenol) @AgNPs nanocomposite for the simultaneous determination of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in food samples

This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of the Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes-Poly(2-aminothiophenol) @silver nanoparticles nanocomposite (MWCNTs-PATP@AgNPs) using different analytical methods. The synthesized MWCNTs-PATP@AgNPs served as an electrocatalytic modifier, enabling the highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions at nanomolar levels using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The concentration of MWCNTs- PATP @AgNPs, the type and concentration of the electrolyte, the solution's pH, and the preconcentration conditions, were systematically optimized. A linear response was observed for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ within the ranges of 0.5–60.0 nmolL⁻¹ and 8.0–50.0 nmol L⁻¹, respectively, with detection limits of 0.125 nmol L⁻¹ for Pb²⁺ and 1.47 nmol L⁻¹ for Cd²⁺. Furthermore, the MWCNTs-PATP@AgNPs sensor demonstrated the capability to selectively detect these target metals in the presence of various common interfering species. The sensor was effectively utilized for the detection of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions across various real samples.