Phenol determination on HDTMA-bentonite-based electrodes

Highlights: → HDTMA-modified bentonites were tested as electrode materials in the electro-oxidation of phenol. → The influences of the surfactant loading and pH of the supporting electrolyte were investigated. → Rapid deactivation of electrodes occurred in an acidic environment. → Good stability of the investigated electrodes was obtained in alkaline medium. → The sensitivity toward phenol and stability of the electrodes was markedly improved with increasing HDTMA loading. - Abstract: The partial and complete substitution of cations in the interlayer region of clay with different amounts of hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (HDTMABr) was performed. The aim was to synthesize organo-bentonites to be used as constituents of porous electrodes for the electrooxidation of phenol. Domestic clay from Bogovina was subjected to a common procedure of the production of organo-bentonites. It included the following steps: grinding, sieving, Na-exchange, cation exchange and drying. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, while the textural properties were evaluated by nitrogen physisorption. The multisweep cyclic voltammetry was applied to analyze the behavior of the clay modified glassy carbon electrode. The influences of the surfactant loading and pH of the support electrolyte were investigated. Rapid deactivation of electrodes occurred in an acidic environment, while good stability of the investigated electrodes was obtained in alkaline medium.