Nickel nanoparticles functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes at platinum electrodes for the detection of bromhexine

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) functionalized by nickel nanoparticles were obtained using a single step chemical deposition method in an ultrasonic bath. The composite material was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The electroactivity of the nickel nanoparticle-functionalized MWCNTs was assessed in respect to the electrooxidation of bromhexine. Compared with a bare Pt and a bare Pt modified with MWNCTs, the nickel nanoparticle-functionalized MWCNTs modified Pt electrode exhibited a well-defined oxidation peak for bromhexine at 997 mV and a marked enhancement of the current response. The nanocomposite material modified Pt electrode has significantly improved the voltammetry of bromhexine and provided a highly reproducible detection. The modified electrode was used for the determination of bromhexine in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 4.0. The peak current increased linearly with the concentration of bromhexine in the range of 5.0 × 10−6 to 2.3 × 10−4 M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999. The detection limit was 3.0 × 10−6 M (S/N = 3). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of bromhexine in pharmaceutical formulations. The nanocomposite material modified Pt electrode has several advantageous such as providing improved voltammetric behavior, long-time stability and excellent reproducibility.