Modified Ultra Micro-Carbon Electrode for Efficient Ammonia Sensing for Water Quality Assessment
Sreerama Amrutha Lahari, Khairunnisa Amreen, Satish Kumar Dubey, R. N. Ponnalagu, Sanket Goel
Abstract
Ammonia is one of the most prominent and hazardous water pollutants; hence its selective and sensitive detection in water is crucial for monitoring water quality and determining its usability. In the present work, a simple, cost-effective electrochemical sensor for the detection of ammonia is presented. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified ultra-micro-carbon thread electrode (UME/MWCNT) has been realized. The electro-catalytic activity of ammonia is studied by voltammetry and amperometry techniques and the results are presented. The microscopic characterization of UME/MWCNT for surface morphology analysis was also carried out. Further, the UME/MWCNT based electrochemical sensor was tested for its practical application by exploring various parameters like the effect of scan rate, pH and interference from co-existing bio-chemicals like nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, hydrazine, H2 [Formula: see text] uric acid, ascorbic acid and dopamine along with real sample analysis. The developed sensor can efficiently detect ammonia in a linear range of [Formula: see text] to 1 mM which is well within the permissible safe drinking water limit. The limit of detection (LoD) and limit of quantification (LoQ) obtained for the developed sensor were [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] respectively. The negligible interference, good reproducibility, and appreciable recovery values indicated the potential of the developed UME for real-time ammonia detection. As a flexible electrode, UME can be further modified and fabricated as a microfluidic or a miniaturized device for a portable electrochemical sensing platform in future.