Novel Ce-incorporated zeolite modified-carbon paste electrode for simultaneous trace electroanalysis of lead and cadmium

Cerium incorporated zeolite-modified carbon paste electrode (Ce-ZCPME) was studied for the anodic stripping voltammetric detection of lead and cadmium ions. The modified electrode which was fabricated in-house by a prior hydrothermal synthesis of Ce-impregnated zeolite displayed satisfactory results compared to other reported electrodes. Deposition of the metal was achieved at a potential of −1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 120 s followed by a square wave stripping scan from −1.6–0.0 V. Various experimental conditions which include nature of supporting electrolyte, pH, amplitude, frequency, deposition potential and deposition time were optimized prior to the analyses. The fabricated electrode revealed a linear behavior over the metal ion concentrations with a LOD (S/N = 3) of 0.07 ppb and 0.46 ppb for lead and cadmium detection, as well as a good reproducibility (RSD 2.23%) respectively. The fabricated electrode has the potential to be used in the analysis of environmental samples due to its lack of toxicity, ease of fabrication and relative inexpensiveness.