Au Deposited Carbon-thread Electrode for Lead ions Detection in Water Samples

The metabolic processes of human body are significantly impacted by lead contamination in drinking water. In this context, this work presents an electrochemical detection method to monitor lead in water samples by employing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the carbon thread surface. After studying the morphology of this optimized surface, the electro-catalytic activity of the metal ion on the Au-modified thread surface was observed using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. The impact of the lead concentration was studied in a linear range of 10 to 100 $\mu M$, and a detection limit of 1.57 $\mu M$ was observed. Further, the effect of pH and effect of interference was examined. Real sample analysis was carried out utilizing a lake water sample to comprehend the applicability of the sensor, and this resulted in a good recovery rate. This work lays the foundation for the on-field applicability of the present heavy metal detection platform.