An Electrochemical Sensor Based on a Porous Biochar/Cuprous Oxide (BC/Cu(2)O) Composite for the Determination of Hg(II)

Mercuric ion (Hg(2+)) in aqueous media is extremely toxic to the environment and organisms. Therefore, the ultra-trace electrochemical determination of Hg(2+) in the environment is of critical importance. In this work, a new electrochemical Hg(2+) sensing platform based on porous activated carbon (BC/Cu(2)O) modified with cuprous oxide was developed using a simple impregnation pyrolysis method. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used to investigate the sensing capability of the BC/Cu(2)O electrode towards Hg(2+). Due to the excellent conductivity and large specific surface area of BC, and the excellent catalytic activity of Cu(2)O nanoparticles, the prepared BC/Cu(2)O electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical activity. The high sensitivity of the proposed system resulted in a low detection limit of 0.3 ng·L(−1) and a wide linear response in the ranges from 1.0 ng·L(−1) to 1.0 mg·L(−1). In addition, this sensor was found to have good accuracy, acceptable precision, and reproducibility. All of these results show that the BC/Cu(2)O composite is a promising material for Hg(2+) electrochemical detection.