Lead Ion Electrochemical Sensor Based on IRMOF-8 Derived Layered Nanocarbon

Lead is trace toxic and bioaccumulative, and is classified as a Class II carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which often poses a serious threat to environmental safety and human health. Therefore, a simple, convenient and efficient method for analyzing and detecting lead ions has attracted much attention.

Recently, scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, synthesized a porous nanocarbon with a high specific surface area (1715 m2/g) based on a carboxylate metal-organic framework compound (IRMOF-8). Its application in electrochemical sensors detects lead ions. The nano-carbon-modified glassy carbon electrode based on microporous, mesoporous and macroporous pores has high stability and repeatability under the synergistic action of the enamel membrane and Nafion membrane, and the detection limit for lead ions can reach 0.8. Îœg/L, which is 12.5 times lower than the drinking water standard published by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, an electrochemical sensor based on this kind of porous carbon modified electrode can be successfully applied to the detection of lead in laboratory tap water, and the recovery rate can reach 95% to 105%.

Related research results were published on RSC Advances.

The research was funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' "Hundred Talents Program", "Light of the West," Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Youth Fund, and international cooperation projects.