Ultrathin nickel hydroxide nanosheets decorated carbon nanotubes for electrochemical detection of uranyl ion

The rapid detection of uranium in water environment is of great significance for water purification and uranium recovery. In this work, ultrathin nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) nanosheets was in-situ growth on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form Ni(OH)2@CNTs electrode for uranyl ion (UO22+) detection. The as-prepared Ni(OH)2@CNTs shows good sensitivity in the electrolyte containing UO22+ with the limit of detection of about 8.603 ppb. Moreover, the Ni(OH)2@CNTs also exhibits significant selectivity for UO22+ in complex wastewater with several interfering cations and anions. This work provides a novel Ni(OH)2@CNTs electrode for UO22+ detection from uranium-containing water.