Silver based mercury film electrode: Part IV. Comparison of theoretical and experimental voltammetric results obtained for cadmium

Using the silver based mercury film electrode (SBMFE) and cyclic and stripping voltammetric techniques the behaviour of cadmium has been compared with the behaviour of lead as well as with the predictions of the theory of de Vries and van Dalen. At the SBMFE with film thickness between 0.1 and 2 μm lead behaves with good agreement with theoretical predictions and only at thicknesses higher than 2 μm some deviations occur due to collecting of the excess mercury at the bottom of the wire electrode. On the other hand even at thin film electrodes the behaviour of cadmium deviates significantly from the predictions of the theory. The height of the anodic peak decreases and its width increases; also the displacement of the potentials of both cathodic and anodic peaks is smaller than the values predicted theoretically. The deviations are caused neither by the formation of intermetallic compounds in the bulk of mercury phase nor by the formation of heterogenous cadmium amalgam; they reflect the interaction between cadmium dissolved in mercury and the solid silver amalgam which is the substrate of the mercury film. Owing to the effect discussed the stripping determination of cadmium at SBMFE is characterized by a lower sensitivity and reproducibility.     

Graphite multi-micro-disc based mercury film electrode: Comparison of experimental and theoretical anodic stripping results

an ensemble of properly distanced micro mercury film electrodes (MMFE) was used in cyclic and anodic stripping voltammetry. the experimental results were compared with the anodic stripping theory, and the agreement was found to be satisfactory. The MMFE peaks (calculated per unit area) were higher, thinner and shifted towards more negative potentials compared with the large area mercury film electrode (LAMFE) peaks.The initial graphite electrode consisted of 65 independent micro-discs forming a circle, and was prepared from carbon fibres 4.66 μm in radius. The graphite multi-micro-disc electrode was quantitatively checked in a Fe(CN)₆^3? solution under both chronoamperometric and voltammetric conditions. The deposition and oxidation of mercury is discussed also.     

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of arsenic, copper, lead and mercury in unpolluted fresh waters using a vibrating gold microwire electrode

In this work, a simple, rapid, reliable and low cost method for simultaneous electrochemical determination of As, Cu, Hg and Pb ions, on a vibrating gold microwire electrode combined with stripping voltammetry, is described for the first time.The multi-element detection was performed in the presence of oxygen by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) in HCl 0.1 M with NaCl 0.5 M. This media was found optimum in terms of peak resolution, peak shape and sensitivities, and has a composition similar to seawater to which the method could potentially be applied. The gold microwire electrode presented well defined, undistorted, sharp and reproducible peaks for trace concentrations of Cu, Hg and Pb and As presented a reproducible peak with a small shoulder. Using a gold vibrating microwire electrode of 25 μm diameter and 30 s deposition time, the detection limits of As, Cu, Hg and Pb were 0.07, 0.4, 0.07 and 0.2 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Possible effects of Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sb and Zn were investigated but did not cause any significant interferences.Finally, the method was applied for the simultaneous determination of these four metals in unpolluted river water samples and the results were validated by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy with Electrothermal Atomization (AAS-EA) or by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).     

An iridium-based mercury-film electrode: Part I. Selection of substrate and preparation

A mercury-film electrode with iridium as the substrate has been developed. Various metals were considered as potential electrode substrates, but only iridium was found to possess the desirable properties as a Hg-film substrate. After testing several pretreatment procedures the recommendation is to polish with 1 μm diamond, rinse with chromic acid and cathodize at −2.0 V vs. SCE. Different deposition conditions and solutions were tested for optimizing the conditions of film formation. The use of a square-wave deposition potential and 0.1 M HClO₄ as electrolyte resulted in a dramatic improvement in the formation of a stable Hg film. Finally a complete procedure is given for the formation of a stable Hg film on iridium.     

Electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on platinum-overlayer-coated gold nanoparticles: effects of film thickness

The electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on Pt-coated Au nanoparticles attached to 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane-modified indium tin oxide electrodes was examined as a function of Pt film thickness and Au particle coverage. For the electrodes with medium and high Au particle coverages, the CO stripping peak position shifts to more negative values with increasing Pt film thickness, from ca. 0.8 V (vs Ag/AgCl) at 1 ML to 0.45 V at 10 ML. Accompanying this peak potential shift is the sharpening of the peak width from more than 150 to 65 mV. For the electrode with low Au particle coverage, similar peak width narrowing was also observed, but the peak potential shift is much smaller, from 0.85 V at 1 ML of Pt to 0.65 V at 10 ML. These observations are compared with the CO oxidation on bulk Pt electrodes and on Pt films deposited on bulk Au electrodes. The film-thickness-dependent CO oxidation is explained by d band theory in terms of strain and ligand effects, the particle size effect, and the particle aggregation induced by Pt film growth. Corresponding to the increasing CO oxidation activity, the current density of methanol oxidation grows with the Pt film thickness. The peak potential and current density reach the same values as those obtained on a polycrystalline bulk Pt electrode when more than 4 ML of Pt is deposited on the Au particle electrodes with a particle coverage higher than 0.25. These results suggest that it is feasible to reduce Pt loading in methanol fuel cells by using Pt thin films as the anode catalyst.     

Differential-pulse anodic stripping voltammetry of mercury with gold-film micro-electrodes

Cylindrical gold film micro-electrodes are easily produced by plasma-sputtering of gold onto carbon fiber electrodes. The micro-electrodes produced were found to maintain their cylindrical geometry indefinitely, unlike gold wire electrodes of similar dimensions. Application of these electrodes in differential-pulse anodic stripping voltammetry provides a method for quantifying trace levels of mercury(II). Up to 100 μg l^?1 Hg(II) the area of the mercury stripping peak varied linearly with mercury concentration; the detection limit was 3.7 μg l^?1. With more than 100 μg l^?1 Hg(II) a new mercury stripping peak grows in at less positive potentials; its peak height is linear with Hg(II) concentration.     

Square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry with a mercury-plated reticulated vitreous carbon electrode

A rotating mercury-plated reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrode is tested for square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry; RVC provides very large surface areas which are easily plated with mercury. Despite the ill-defined geometry of the electrode, the square-wave stripping peaks are very well defined; their behaviour conforms partly to known theory for square-wave stripping from mercury film electrodes. Fast analytical determinations of lead and cadmium in the μg l^?1 range are facilitated by the high efficiency of the preconcentration step and the high sensitivity given by the stripping waveform.     

Determination of traces of metals by anodic stripping voltammetry at a rotating glassy carbon ring—disc electrode: Part 1. Method and instrumentation with evaluation of some parameters

The equipment and procedure are described for the determination without preconcentration of several heavy metals based on d.c. anodic stripping voltammetry at a rotating ring—disc glassy carbon electrode with in situ mercury plating. During stripping of the metals deposited on the disc, the current from the reduction of the ions collected at the ring is measured. Some parameters (scan rate, thickness of the mercury film, electrode rotation and deposition time) influencing the ring collection peak current are examined experimentally. The results are compared with the theoretical considerations given by de Vries and van Dalen for anodic stripping voltammetry on a stationary mercury film electrode and by Bakanov et al. for a rotating mercury film electrode.     

Potentiometric stripping analysis for tin with a gold film electrode formed in situ on glassy carbon

A gold film electrode formed in situ on glassy carbon is used as the working electrode for the determination of tin over the range 0.1–10 μg ml^?1. Gold(III) added to the solution provides the film and serves as the oxidant for stripping. Two stripping curves corresponding to Sn(Au) → Sn(II) and Sn(II) → Sn(IV) were observed; either can be used for determinations of tin. The equations for the transition time (i.e., stripping signal) and stripping curve derived were verified experimentally.     

Voltammetric determination of 4-nitrophenol at a sodium montmorillonite-anthraquinone chemically modified glassy carbon electrode

A new method for the determination of 4-nitrophenol(4-NP) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) based on adsorptive stripping technique was described. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear scan voltammetry (LSV) were used in a comparative investigation into the electrochemical reduction of 4-NP at a Na-montmorillonite(SWy-2) and anthraquione (AQ) modified glassy carbon electrode. With this chemically modified electrode, 4-NP was first irreversibly reduced from phiNO(2) to phiNHOH at -0.78 V. A couple of well-defined redox peaks at +0.22 V (vs. SCE) were responsible for a two-electron redox peak between phiNHOH and phiNO. Studies on the effect of pH on the peak height and peak potential were carried out over the pH range 2.0-9.0 with the phosphate buffer solution. A pH of 3.4 was chosen as the optimum pH. The other experimental parameters, such as film thickness, accumulation time and potential etc. were optimized. Anodic peak currents were found to be linearly related to concentration of 4-NP over the range 0.3-45 mg l(-1), with a detection limit of 0.02 mg l(-1). The interference of organic and inorganic species on the voltammetric response have been studied. This modified electrode can be used to the determination of 4-NP in water samples.     

Disposable screen-printed bismuth electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes for electrochemical stripping measurements

Integrating the advantages of screen printing technology with the encouraging electroanalytical characteristic of metallic bismuth, we developed an ultrasensitive and disposable screen-printed bismuth electrode (SPBE) modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for electrochemical stripping measurements. Metallic bismuth powders and MWCNTs were homogeneously mixed with graphite-carbon ink to mass-prepare screen-printed bismuth electrode doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SPBE/MWCNT). The electroanalytical performance of the prepared SPBE/MWCNT was intensively evaluated by measuring trace Hg(II) with square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The results indicated that the SPBE modified with 2 wt% MWCNTs could offer a more sensitive response to trace Hg(II) than the bare SPBE. The stripping current obtained at SPBE/MWCNT was linear with Hg(II) concentration in the range from 0.2 to 40 μg/L (R(2) = 0.9976), with a detection limit of 0.09 μg/L (S/N = 3) under 180 s accumulation. The proposed "mercury-free" electrode, with extremely simple preparation and ultrahigh sensitivity, holds wide application prospects in both environmental and industrial monitoring.     

A New Sensor with Increased Lifetime Based on a Mixed Diazonium Thick Film/Gold Nanoparticles Interface for Hg(II) Trace Detection

This work describes a novel strategy for surface functionalization, the aim of which is to significantly increase the lifetime of an electrochemical sensor dedicated to Hg(II) trace determination. In order to tailor stable mixed organic/inorganic interfaces, gold nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto a glassy carbon electrode previously functionalized by a thick 4‐thiophenol diazonium film, which affords a good anchoring to the nanoparticles. AFM and FEG‐SEM were used to characterize the film thickness and the nanoparticles average size and density, respectively. By using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry, the sensor exhibited a linear response between 1 and 10 nM Hg(II) and a normalized sensitivity 0.03 μA nM^?1 min^?1. Compared to previous works, the storage lifetime of the interface was at least three times longer, being more than three weeks.     

Voltammetric study of the redox behaviour of the Hg(II)/Hg(I)/Hg system at a rotating metal-ring/glassy-carbon disc electrode

The reduction of Hg(II) at a glassy-carbon electrode in various electrolytes has been studied by rotating ring-disc voltammetry. Reduction proceeds directly to metallic mercury in a single 2-electron step. However, at the foot of the wave, and only during the first reduction sweep after pretreatment of the electrode surface, a small amount of Hg(I) species is detected at the ring. The appearance of an Hg(I) intermediate is most pronounced in sulphuric acid solution. The reduction of Hg(II) is found to proceed irreversibly and to be of first order. At sufficiently negative potentials the reduction is convective-diffusion controlled. Stripping voltammetric experiments indicate that the dissolution of mercury gives Hg(II) in complexing electrolytes. In non-complexing electrolytes the initially formed Hg(II) reacts with mercury atoms on the electrode surface to give Hg(I). During electrodissolution, two stripping peaks may be observed as a result of underpotential adsorption of mercury on glassy carbon. The difference in peak potential between the adsorption (mono) layer peak and the bulk mercury peak has been related to the difference in work functions of the deposit (mercury) and substrate (carbon). A rotating glassy-carbon electrode has been used for the anodic stripping determination of mercury. When an appropriate amount of a cation such as cadmium(II) or copper(II) is added to the test solution, mercury down to 2 x 10(-9)M (0.4 ng ml ) can be determined in acidified thiocyanate electrolyte with a relative standard deviation of about 22%.     

电化学方法分析铅阳极膜的相组成

本文提出使用线性电位扫描和电位衰退定性和定量分析铅在4.5mol·dm^-^3H2SO4(30℃)中形成的阳极膜的相组成并与现场X射线衍射, 原子吸收光谱, 阳极溶出等法比较。结果表明电位扫描伏安曲线的峰电位和电位扫描至峰电位左右时电极开路后, 所得的稳定电位可用于阳极膜相组成的定性分析, 电位扫描伏安电线电流峰的面积可用于阴极膜相组成的定量分析。本文的阳极膜由PbO·PbSO4, PbO2和PbOn(2>n>1)组成, 以PbO·PbSO4为主要成份。     

Preconcentration and electroanalysis of silver at pt electrode modified with poly(2-aminothiazole)

Conducting poly(2-aminothiazole) (PAT) films were electrodeposited on a platinum disc electrode surface by constant potential electrolysis of 2-aminothiazole (AT) for the stripping voltammetric determination of Ag(I). Ag(I) was preconcentrated on the polymer matrix by dipping the modified Pt electrode (PAT-Pt electrode) into Ag(I)(aq) solution. Effects of the film thickness, reduction potential, pH, preconcentration time, Ag(I) concentration and the interference of some other metal ions on the oxidation peak current of silver were studied. Cu(II) interference observed to be significant for the stripping voltammetric determination of Ag(I). The detection limit was calculated on the basis of signal to noise ratio of 3 as 2 × 10^?7 mol L^?1.     

Digestion-free determination of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu) in honey using anodic stripping differential pulse voltammetry and potentiometric stripping analysis

Experiments have been carried out to assess the potential of differential pulse voltammetry and potential stripping analysis for determining Pb, Cu and Cd directly in dissolved honey samples using a flow-through cell. With the hanging mercury drop electrode Pb alone can be determined only if the electrode is first modified in-situ with Triton X 100 to increase the separation between the Pb peak and a broad, interfering adsorption peak which overlaps the Cu peak. If the (more sensitive) thin film mercury electrode is used the interference encountered is less so also Cu and Cd can be determined. With potentiometric stripping analysis Cu and Pb can be determined using normal procedures. The determination of Cd, however, can only be carried out if the concentration of the oxidizing agent [Hg(II)] in solution is decreased. A good agreement has been obtained between the values found and those obtained after high pressure digestion of the samples.     

Electrochemical water oxidation by photo-deposited cobalt-based catalyst on a nano-structured TiO2 electrode

A cobalt-based catalyst was directly photo-deposited on the surface of a widely used n-type nano-structured semiconductor(TiO 2).Different thicknesses of the TiO 2 films as well as different time of photo-deposition of the Co-based catalyst on TiO 2 films have been optimized.It was found that the electrode with 3 layers of TiO 2 film(in 8 m thickness) and 1 hour photo-deposition of the cobalt-based catalyst by light irradiation from a 500 W Xenon lamp gave the highest current density(～5 mA/cm 2).Using this cobalt-modified TiO 2 film as a working electrode in an electrochemical device,highly efficient water oxidation has been demonstrated in a pH 7.0 aqueous solution with low overpotential.     

Exfoliated Graphite Oxide Modified Electrode for the Selective Determination of Picomolar Concentration of Lead

We report the selective, picomolar determination of lead(II) ions using exfoliated graphite oxide (EGO) modified glassy carbon electrode. Exfoliated graphite oxide is the oxidized form of exfoliated graphite containing a variety of functional groups such as hydroxyl, phenolic and carboxyl groups. The EGO can be dispersed as a stable colloid in a wide range of pH, from 2 to 11. This leads to the flexibility of film formation on substrates and use of a variety of functional groups to complex lead ions. The analyte is preconcentrated and subsequently determined using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The factors influencing the determination of lead such as the pH of the analyte solution, preconcentration time and the thickness of EGO layer on the electrode surface have been optimized. Two linear ranges are observed between 1 mM and 10 μm and 0.1 μM and 1 pM for a 5 minute preconcentration time. The lowest detection limit is found to be 1 pM. The main advantages of the electrode are the ease of preparation of the modified electrode, low cost, sensitivity and selectivity. The analytical utility of the EGO modified electrode in the determination of lead is demonstrated by application to several water samples.     

以镍铬合金为基体的铋膜电极的构建及其应用

采用循环伏安法以镍铬合金为基体构建了铋膜/镍铬合金电极,以扫描电镜表征其表面形貌,利用线性扫描伏安法研究了Pb(II)、Cd(II)在该电极上电化学行为。结果表明:在0.20 mol/L HAc-NaAc缓冲溶液(pH4.5)中,该电极对Pb(II)、Cd(II)离子有较好的电催化活性,Pb(II)、Cd(II)的阳极溶出峰电流与其浓度分别呈良好的线性关系,检出限分别为6.39μg/L和3.52μg/L。     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on mediated electron transfer between immobilized glucose oxidase and plasma-polymerized thin film of dimethylaminomethylferrocene on sputtered gold electrode.

We propose an electron transfer-mediated amperometric enzyme biosensor based on plasma-polymerized thin film of dimethylaminomethylferrocene (DMAMF) on a sputtered gold electrode. The DMAMF plasma-polymerized film is deposited directly onto the surface of the electrode under dry conditions. The resulting thin film not only has redox sites but also is extremely thin (approximately 20 nm), adheres well onto the substrate (electrode), has a flat surface and a highly-crosslinked network structure, and is hydrophilic in nature. Glucose oxidase is densely immobilized onto the surface of DMAMF plasma-polymerized film on the gold electrode. From the electrochemical measurement, the biosensor can cover the wide range of glucose concentration (1.3 - 81 mM) at +350 mV of applied potential. The current response of the glucose biosensor was decreased by less than 5% in an aerobic solution as compared to that in an anaerobic solution. These show that the DMAMF plasma-polymerized films play a role as the electron transfer mediators between the reaction center of enzyme and the electrode.