Insights into the role of pyrrole doped in three-dimensional graphene aerogels for electrochemical sensing Cd(II)

Abstract In this work, three-dimensional graphene aerogels have been prepared by introduction of pyrrole to regulate their structure and properties and used as electrode materials to investigate the special role of pyrrole for sensing metal ions. The interaction between pyrrole and graphene oxide is explored through a series of characterization techniques to understand the role of doped pyrrole. Besides as N source to provide active metal ions binding sites, pyrrole can also serve as a reductant and a regulator to adjust the composition and structure of graphene aerogels, which greatly influences their electrochemical performance of sensing Cd(II). And, the reaction ratio of pyrrole and graphene oxide plays a key role to optimize the effect of pyrrole. By the method of square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV), the 3DGO-Py10 modified electrode can be successfully applied to determine Cd(II) in aqueous solutions. These findings will provide new guidelines to design electrode materials for heavy metal ions detection.