Nanocomposite of halloysite nanotubes/multi-walled carbon nanotubes for methyl parathion electrochemical sensor application

We report a simple and highly efficient preparation of nanocomposite of halloysite (Hal) nanotubes/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Hal-MWCNTs) and its electrochemical sensor application for the determination of methyl parathion (MP). The phase structure and surface morphology of the Hal-MWCNTs nanocomposite were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. According to the electrochemical tests, the fabricated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) sensor with Hal and multi-walled carbon nanotubes showed excellent MP determination performance because of the synergistic effect of Hal and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The Hal-MWCNTs/GCE sensor exhibited a relatively low detection limit of 0.034 mu M in the linear range of 0.5-11 mu M. When used for the determination of MP in real samples, the Hal-MWCNTs/GCE sensor showed good detection effect with satisfactory relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.46 to 3.08% and recoveries of 98.8 of 101.8%. This work indicated that the nanocomposite of Hal-MWCNTs when coated on GCE is useful for the fabrication of high-performance MP electrochemical sensor.