In situ deposition of bismuth on pre-anodized screen-printed electrode for sensitive determination of Cd2+ in water and rice with a portable device

Abstract Electrochemical detection is favorable for the rapid and sensitive determination of heavy metal cadmium. However, the detection sensitivity needs to be further improved, and a portable, low-cost device is needed for on-site detection. Herein, an in-situ bismuth modified pre-anodized screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was developed for Cd²⁺ determination by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The in-situ bismuth modification enhances the enrichment of Cd²⁺, and together with pre-anodization improve the electron transfer rate of electrode, thus enhancing the detection sensitivity. In addition, a self-made PSoC Stat potentiostat coupled with a stirring device was fabricated for portable electrochemical detection. After comprehensive optimization, the developed method can reach a testing time of 3 min, a detection limit of 3.55 µg/L, a linear range of 5-100 µg/L, and a recovery rate of 91.7%-107.1% in water and rice samples for Cd²⁺ determination. Therefore, our method holds great promise for the rapid, sensitive and on-site determination of Cd²⁺ in food samples.