We describe the preparation of bismutite ((BiO) 2 CO 3 ) and bismuth-oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ) plates-like nanostructures and their incorporation within graphite-composite electrodes for the determination of trace metals by anodic-strippingvoltammetry. The bismuth nanostructures were produced under microwave-hydrothermal conditions followed by thermal conversion of as-prepared precursor and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed infrared and field-emission scanning-electron-microscopy. Graphite-composite electrodes bulk-modified with Bi 2 O 3 nanostructures provided higher sensitivity and lower detection limits for determinations of cadmium, lead and zinc (0.26; 0.52; and 2.23 mg L
À1, respectively) employing short deposition time (60 s). The results indicate that the modification of graphite-composite electrodes with Bi 2 O 3 nanostructures improved analytical characteristics of electrochemical sensors for trace-metal determinations.
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