An improved electrochemical sensor based on triton X-100 functionalized SnO2 nanoparticles for ultrasensitive determination of cadmium

The drastic increases in the concentration of heavy metals ions in the environment have become a serious concern for a number of years. Heavy metals pose serious impacts on human and aquatic life and cause severe health hazards. Amongst heavy metals, cadmium is known for its lethal effects on human health as it easily reacts with enzymes and creates free radicals in the biological system that causes carcinogenicity and other serious diseases. Thus, to tackle this challenge, TX-100 SnO2 nanoparticles based chemically modified sensor is introduced to assess the quantity of Cd+2 in the water system. The engineered SnO2 nanoparticles were electrochemically characterized through cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to ensure the better charge transfer kinetics and electrocatalytic properties of fabricated sensors. Under the optimized conditions e.g., scan rate 80 mV/s, PBS electrolyte pH 7, and potential window (−0.2 to −1.4 V), the engineered TX-100/SnO2/GCE-based sensor manifested a phenomenal response for cadmium ions in water media. The LOD and LOQ of developed TX-100/SnO2/GCE were calculated in the nanomolar range as 0.0084 nM and 0.27 nM. The recovery values of the proposed method for Cd+2 were found in an acceptable limit that witnesses the effectiveness of the fabricated sensor. Moreover, the excellent stability and anti-interference behavior of the sensor highlights its dynamic profile to be commercially utilized for the determination of Cd+2 ions in water bodies. [Display omitted] •Fabrication of SnO2 nanoparticles through an effective aqueous chemical growth method.•Exploitation of Triton X-100 as functionalizing and stabilizing agents in preparation of SnO2 nanoparticles.•Characterization of TX-100/SnO2 nanoparticles through FTIR, SEM and XRD.•Utilization of engineered sensor for the low-level electrochemical determination of Cd+2 ions.•Evaluation of fabricated TX-100/SnO2/GCE for determination of Cd+2 in real water bodies.