Voltammetric sensing of triclosan in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide using a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode

In the present study, a simple, cheap and sensitive electrochemical method based on a cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond (CPT-BDD) electrode is described for the detection of triclosan with the cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) media. The oxidation of triclosan was irreversible and exhibited an adsorption controlled process. The sensitivity of the adsorptive stripping voltammetric measurements was significantly improved with addition of CTAB. Using square-wave stripping mode, a linear response was obtained for triclosan determination in Britton-Robinson buffer solution at pH 9.0 containing 2.5 x 10(-4) M CTAB at around + 0.67 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) (after 30 s accumulation at open-circuit condition). The method could be used in the range of 0.01-1.0 mu g mL(-1) (3.5 x 10(-8)-3.5 x 10(-6) M), with a detection limit of 0.0023 mu g mL(-1) (7.9 x 10(-9) M). The feasibility of the proposed method for the determination of triclosan in water samples was checked in spiked tap water.