Polyaniline/polyacrylic acid/multi-walled carbon nanotube modified electrodes for sensing ascorbic acid

Abstract

A multi-walled carbon nanotube composite electrode incorporating Polyaniline (PANI) and Polyacrylic acid (PAA) is presented by diffusing aniline and PAA into Nafion- MWCNTs membranes supported upon a platinum macrodisc electrode. Nafion is found to be an ideal medium for dispersion of MWCNTs and for the formation of a homogeneous composite. The composite has been characterized utilizing SEM, TEM, FT-IR and electrochemical techniques. Electrochemical characterization reveals that the redox activity of the composite is improved with the cumulative effect of MWCNTs and PAA as additives. The electroanalytical behavior of the composite is evaluated towards the sensing of ascorbic acid in the presence of dopamine and uric acid exhibiting a detection limit of 2.5 × 10 -7 M. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.