A Simple and Sensitive Method for the Amperometric Detection of Trace Chromium(VI) Based on Prussian Blue Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

A simple and sensitive method for the amperometric detection of trace amount of chromium(VI) using a Prussian blue modified glassy carbon electrode (PB/GCE) is described here. The Everitts salt/Prussian blue redox couple of the PB film was found to mediate the Cr(VI) reduction, and the mechanism of electrochemical reaction was investigated. The effects of PB film thickness, applied potential and electrolyte solution on the current response of Cr(VI) reduction were thoroughly studied. Under the optimized conditions, the PB/GCE provided a wide linear range for Cr(VI) analysis from 0.5 to 200 ppb with excellent sensitivity (15±0.2 nA/ppb) and low detection limit (0.15 ppb). In addition, the modified electrode showed excellent stability, reproducibility and good resistance to other metal ions and surfactants. Finally, the proposed method was applied to detect trace Cr(VI) in wastewater with satisfactory results. The great advantages of the method were characterized by the simplicity, ease of preparation, stability, short analysis time and cost‐efficiency.     

Amperometric Determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) by Flow Injection Analysis

Speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) can be attained by flow injection analysis with amperometric detection. Cr(VI) is reduced in an acidic medium to Cr(III) with a glassy carbon electrode at —0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl and the current is recorded. Cr(III) is oxidised on-line to Cr(VI) with alkaline hydrogen peroxide solution. From the difference of the total chromium and Cr(VI), the amount of Cr(III) was obtained. A linear calibration curve for Cr(VI) was obtained for the concentration ranges 0.01-5.0ppm of Cr(VI) and we have calculated the limit of determination to be about 0.5ppb. We have studied the degree of reproducibility obtained using the solid electrodes under various conditions. The influence of flow rate, coil length, interfenences and the extent of reaction were studied.     

Portable instrument for electrochemical gas sensing

The instrument features up to four individual sensors, which may be used in the amperometric or voltammetric mode. A small pump is employed in order to make use of the enhanced sensitivity obtained with active transport of the sample gas to the sensor membranes. A Pt/air system serves as reference electrode. For the amperometric detection of acetaldehyde, as an example, a detection limit of 12 ppb was obtained. Several approaches to optimize selectivity and sensitivity are demonstrated on the portable, battery powered instrument. These include the use of a preconcentration trap for acetaldehyde and of chemical filters for the elimination of the interference of ozone on the measurement of NO, as well as voltammetric and concurrent measurements from two sensors in order to determine both NO and SO₂ in mixtures.     

Highly sensitive adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for the ultra-trace determination of chromium(VI).

A rapid differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetric method has been developed for the ultra-trace determination of chromium using 2,2'-bipyridine. The base electrolyte used is 0.1 M NH4Cl (pH 6.0). The peak current was found to increase substantially with the addition of nitrite ions. A well-defined peak was observed at -1.3 V. Parameters, like concentration of the ligand, concentration of nitrite ion, accumulation potential, accumulation time, rest period, drop size, scan rate, pulse amplitude etc. have been optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the 3 sigma detection limit was found to be 0.02 ppb (3.8 x 10(-10) M). The method is highly selective and sensitive, and has been applied to the determination of Cr(VI) in spiked water, effluents and ore samples.     

Flower-like self-assembly of gold nanoparticles for highly sensitive electrochemical detection of chromium(VI)

We report here the fabrication of a flower-like self-assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as a highly sensitive platform for ultratrace Cr(VI) detection. Two AuNP layers are used in the current approach, in which the first is electroplated on the GCE surface as anchors for binding to an overcoated thiol sol–gel film derived from 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS). The second AuNP layer is then self-assembled on the surface of the sol–gel film, forming flower-like gold nanoelectrodes enlarging the electrode surface. When functionalized by a thiol pyridinium, the fabricated electrode displays a well-defined peak for selective Cr(VI) reduction with an unusually large, linear concentration range of 10–1200 ng L⁻¹ and a low detection limit of 2.9 ng L⁻¹. In comparison to previous approaches using MPTS and AuNPs on Au electrodes, the current work expands the use of AuNPs to the GCE. Subsequent functionalization of the secondary AuNPs by a thiol pyridinium and adsorption/preconcentration of Cr(VI) lead to the unusually large detection range and high sensitivity. The stepwise preparation of the electrode has been characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and IR. The newly designed electrode exhibits good stability, and has been successfully employed to measure chromium in a pre-treated blood sample. The method demonstrates acceptable fabrication reproducibility and accuracy.     

Speciation of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) by electrothermal atomisation AAS after electrodeposition on a L'vov platform

Summary The pyrolysed graphite L'vov platform of a tube furnace is considered as an electrode for the electrodeposition and speciation of chromium by electrothermal atomisation atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS). Firstly, a preliminary study of the Cr(VI)/Cr(III) voltammetric behavior at pH 4.70 on a glassy-carbon electrode is carried out. Secondly, the L'vov platform is used as a cathodic macro-electrode for the selective preconcentration of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) on a mercury film. Speciation of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) is carried out on the basis of the electrolysis potential (E_e): at pH 4.70 and E_e=–0.30 V, only Cr(VI) is reduced to Cr(III) and accumulated as Cr(OH)₃ by adsorption on a mercury film; at E_e=–1.80 V both Cr(VI) and Cr(III) are accumulated forming an amalgam with added mercury(II) ions. Once the film has been formed, the platform is transferred to a graphite tube to atomise the element. The reliability of the method was tested for the speciation of chromium in natural waters and it proves to be highly sensitive thanks to the electroanalytical step. In all samples, the Cr(VI) concentration was less than the detection limit (0.15 ng ml^–1), and the concentration of Cr(III) agrees with those of total chromium. The analytical recovery of Cr(VI) added to water samples [3.50 ng ml^–1 of Cr(VI)] was 105±6.2%.     

Application of a renewable silver based mercury film electrode to the determination of Cr(VI) in soil samples

The design and experimental results of the application of a renewable mercury film silver based electrode to the determination of Cr(VI) in soil samples are presented. The main feature of this procedure is that it can be used in field measurements. The procedure is based on the extraction of total Cr(VI) exploiting the complexation property of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) followed by electrochemical reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) with the formation of Cr(III)-H₂DTPA complex adsorbed on mercury film electrode. The voltammetric signal is caused by reduction of this complex. The validation of the proposed procedure was made by Cr(VI) determination in the certified reference material “Chromium VI in soil”. The protocol for Cr(VI) determination has also been applied to the analysis of Rendoll soil samples with satisfying precision.

     

Refreshable mercury film silver based electrode for determination of chromium(VI) using catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry

The refreshable mercury film silver based electrode Hg(Ag)FE applied for determination of Cr(VI) traces using catalytic adsorptive striping voltammetry (CAdSV) will be presented. The film electrode is characterized by its very good surface reproducibility (not less than 2%) and long-term stability (1500–2000 measurement cycles). The mechanical refreshing of mercury film is realized in the specially constructed device, in a time shorter than 1–2 s.

In the paper, it will be proved that a mechanically weak hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) may be substituted by mercury film Hg(Ag)FE electrode with a surface area adjustable from 1.5 to 12 mm². For the electrode surface 4 mm² the detection limit obtained for Cr(VI) was 0.19 nM, while the linearity range measured for a 20 s accumulation time was between 0.5 and 50 nM. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) in determination of Cr(VI) varied from 1 to 5%. The influence of the excess of Cr(III) on determination of Cr(VI) was analyzed using samples from the Dobczyce reservoir spiked with known amounts of Cr(VI) and Cr(III).     

Voltammetric study and electrochemical detection of hexavalent chromium at gold nanoparticle-electrodeposited indium tinoxide (ITO) electrodes in acidic media

The voltammetric behavior of hexavalent chromium species (Cr(VI)) was respectively studied at ITO, bulk Au, and Au-electrodeposited electrodes in 0.01 M NaCl aqueous solutions containing 0.01 M HCl. It was found that performance degradation of the ITO electrodes toward the reduction of Cr(VI) can be suppressed by modifying the electrode surface with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which were formed on ITO electrodes by potential-sweeping or potential-step electrodeposition in a 0.01 M Na(2)SO(4) solution containing 1 mM HAuCl(4) x 3 H(2)O and 0.01 M H(2)SO(4). After the modification, the surface of ITO electrodes turned to the characteristically red or blue color exhibited by AuNPs. The gold nanoparticle-electrodeposited indium-tinoxide electrode (AuNP-ITO) demonstrates unique catalytic behavior, higher sensitivity and stability in the reduction of Cr(VI). Cr(VI) species was detected by either cyclic voltammetry or hydrodynamic amperometry. By cyclic voltammetry, the dependence of cathodic peak current on concentration was linear from 5 to 100 microM with a detection limit of 2 microM (sigma=3), and linearity was obtained from 0.5 to 50 microM by hydrodynamic amperometry where a constant potential of +0.2V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was applied and a batch-injection cell was employed. For hydrodynamic amperometry, the detection limit was 0.1 microM (sigma=3).     

Highly sensitive composite electrode based on electrospun carbon nanofibers and ionic liquid

A novel composite electrode has been developed using electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNF) and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium hexaflurophosphate (PFP). The highly pure CNF without any pretreatment exhibited very low background noise and high voltammetric responses. When applied to sensing of biomolecules under physiological conditions, the CNF/PFP electrode provided attractive electrochemical performances, such as high sensitivity and good selectivity for simultaneous detection of dopamine, ascorbic acid and uric acid, guanine and adenine, as well as high signal-to-noise ratio and good stability for amperometric detection of NADH.     

Morphology dependent electrocatalytic activity of Au nanoparticles

The electrocatalytic activity of spherical shape Au particles chemically grown on a sol–gel derived 3D silicate network modified conducting surface has been studied using ascorbate as a model. The nanostructured Au particles show morphology dependent electrocatalytic activity towards ascorbate. Unusual voltammetric behavior for ascorbate has been observed. Unlike the polycrystalline Au electrode, the nanostructured electrode shows two well defined voltammetric peaks for ascorbate at 0 and 0.3 V in neutral and alkaline pHs. These voltammetric peaks are assigned for the oxidation of ascorbate to dehydroascorbate (DHA) and the further oxidation of 2,3-diketogluonic acid (DKG), the hydrolyzed product of DHA. The voltammetric peak corresponding to the oxidation of DKG is very sensitive to the supporting electrolyte anions and solution pH. Voltammetric behavior of DHA has been investigated to support the oxidation pathway of ascorbate on the nanostructured electrode. Surface morphology of the particle controls the electrocatalytic activity.     

Optical determination of Cr(VI) using regenerable, functionalized sol-gel monoliths

Transparent, pyridine-functionalized sol-gel monoliths have been formed and their use in Cr(VI) sensing applications is demonstrated. The monoliths were immersed in acidic Cr(VI)-containing solutions, and the Cr(VI) uptake was monitored using UV-vis and atomic absorption spectroscopies. At concentrations at the ppm level, the monoliths exhibit a yellow color change characteristic of Cr(VI) uptake, and this can be measured by monitoring the absorption change at about 350 nm using UV-vis spectroscopy. Concentrations at the ppb level are below the limit of detection using this wavelength of 350 nm for measurement. However, by adding a diphenylcarbazide solution to monoliths that have been previously immersed in ppb-level Cr(VI) solutions, a distinct color change takes place within the gels that can be measured at about 540 nm using UV-vis spectroscopy. Concentrations as low as 10 ppb Cr(VI) can be measured using this method. The monoliths can then be regenerated for subsequent sensing cycles by thorough washing with 6.0 M HCl. The factors affecting monolith uptake of Cr(VI) have been explored. In addition, the gels have been characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements.     

Determination of Cr(VI) Using a Pulse Amperometric Method with an Ionophore‐Immobilized Membrane Electrode

A pulse amperometric method for the determination of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution has been investigated with an ionophore‐immobilized membrane electrode. The double potential step chronoamperometry was applied to measure the current for the facilitated transfer of Cr(VI) by the membrane with N,N,N′,N′‐tetrakis(3‐aminopropyl)‐1,4‐butanediamine (DABAm4) coated on a silver electrode. The current responses were stably detected by the pulse amperometry while voltage pulses, ΔE=?240 mV, of short duration of 50 ms were employed at the interval of 5 s. In the range of 1.65–81.3 μM, Cr(VI) in water could be selectively determined in the presence of various interfering anions below 100 μM without removal of Cr(VI) from the interferences using an ion exchange column.     

Electrochemical Preparation of a Nanostructured Poly(amino napthalene sulfonic acid) Electrode Using CTAB as a Soft Template and Its Electrocatalytic Application for the Reduction of Iodate

A nanostructured poly(5‐amino‐2‐naphthalene sulfonic acid) (nanostructured PANS) electrode has been prepared using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a soft template by potentiodynamic method. The effect of CTAB at various concentrations was analyzed during electrochemical synthesis of the PANS electrode. As the concentration was near to cmc of CTAB, well growth and nanostructured PANS electrode was obtained. The formation mechanism and the reason for the increase of the peak current of the nanostructured PANS electrode are discussed. The surface morphology of PANS electrode was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a nanoribbon like structured PANS polymer was obtained near cmc of CTAB. The electrochemical properties of nanostructured PANS electrode were studied. The catalytic utility of nanostructured PANS electrode was investigated and it exhibited electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of iodate with a low potential. The amperometric detection of iodate was tested at nanostructured PANS electrode. Linear range and detection limit were found to be 0.1 to 0.4 µM and 0.1 µM, respectively. The present work involves a simple, and one‐step approach to fabricate a nanostructured PANS film with unique electrochemical properties, which can have great potential in various applications such as sensors, and energy source systems.     

Amperometric detection at a carbon-fibre array ring/glassy-carbon disk electrode in a wall-jet cell

A wall-jet cell incorporating a carbon fibre array ring/glassy-carbon disk electrode has been constructed, and characterized by the cyclic voltammetry and flow-injection techniques. The ring (composed of several microdisks) and glassy-carbon disk electrode, can be used separately for different purposes, e.g., detection in solution without a supporting electrolyte, collection/shielding detection with dual-electrode and voltammetric/amperometric detection with series dual-electrode. The electrode shows better collection and shielding effects than the usual ring-disk electrode in quiescent solution and the series dual-electrode in a thin-layer flow-through cell. The detection limit at the ring electrode is comparable with that at a conventional-size electrode, and has been used in the mobile phase without a supporting electrolyte, proving to be a promising detector for normal-phase liquid chromatography.     

Simultaneous determination of Pt and Rh by catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry, using hexamethylene tetramine (HMTA) as complexing agent

Characteristics of the adsorption/electro-reduction of Pt/Rh hexamethylene tetramine (HMTA) complex on static mercury drop electrode surface were studied. Cyclic voltammetry was carried out to get the insight about the mechanistic behaviour of the catalytic current obtained in the voltammetric scan of Pt/Rh HMTA complex in acidic solution. Adsorptive stripping voltammetry using HMTA as the complexing agent was found to be highly sensitive method for the determination of Pt/Rh. Voltammetric measurements were carried out using hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) as the working electrode, a glassy carbon rod as the counter and an Ag/AgCl/KCl_saturated as the reference electrode. Various electrochemical parameters like deposition potential, deposition time, concentration of the ligand, supporting electrolyte etc. were optimized. The detection limit of Pt and Rh was found to be 4.38 pML⁻¹ and 2.80 pML⁻¹, respectively for the deposition time of 30 s. Simultaneous determination of Pt(II) and Rh(III) in water samples was possible. The method was found to be free from the commonly occurring interfering ions such as Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Pb(II), Cr(III), Cr(VI), Fe(III), Fe(II), Ni(II) and Co(II). Spike recovery tests for both Pt and Rh in tap water and sea water samples were also carried out. The method has been verified by analyzing certified reference material (WMG-1).     

Sensitive Detection of NADH by Ferrocenylalkanethiol Functionalized Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Electrodes

Abstract

The 6-ferrocenylhexanethiol (FcC₆SH) functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (FcC₆SH/MWNTs/GCE) was easily fabricated and used for the sensitive detection of NADH. Cyclic voltammetric and amperometric methods were used to study the behavior of NADH on the FcC₆SH/MWNTs/GCE. A broader linear response range to the NADH concentration from 5 µM to 1.5 mM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9982 was obtained. The detection limit was 0.54 µM. The synergetic effects of FcC₆SH and MWNTs make the modified electrode highly sensitive to NADH. In addition, the modified electrode can decrease the fouling of the electrode surface.     

Catalytic adsorptive stripping determination of trace chromium (VI) at the bismuth film electrode

A sensitive adsorptive stripping voltammetric protocol at a bismuth-coated glassy-carbon electrode for trace measurements of chromium (VI) in the presence of diethylenetriammine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) is described. The new protocol is based on accumulation of the Cr-DTPA complex at a preplated bismuth film electrode held at −0.80 V, followed by a negatively-going square-wave voltammetric waveform. Factors influencing the stripping performance including the film preparation, solution pH, DTPA and nitrate concentrations, deposition potential and deposition time, have been optimized. The resulting performance compares well with that observed for analogous measurements at mercury film electrodes. A preconcentration time of 7 min results in a detection limit of 0.3 nM Cr(VI) and after 2 min a relative standard deviation at 20 nM of 5.1% (n = 25). Applicability to river water samples is demonstrated. The attractive behavior of the new “mercury-free” chromium sensor holds great promise for on-site environmental and industrial monitoring of chromium (VI). Preliminary data in this direction using bismuth-coated screen-printed electrodes are encouraging.     

Microelectrode Applications of Pulsed Electrochemical Detection

Pulsed electrochemical detection (PED) has been applied to the direct (i.e., requires no derivatization), sensitive and reproducible detection of numerous polar aliphatic compounds (e.g., carbohydrates, amines, and thiols). These compounds, many of which have biological significance, typically have been classified as non‐electroactive for detection under constant applied potentials and have poor optical detection properties. PED exploits the electrocatalytic activity of noble metal (e.g., Au and Pt) electrode surfaces to oxidize various polar functional groups using multi‐step potential‐time waveforms to realize amperometric/coulometric detection while maintaining uniform and reproducible electrode activity. The response mechanisms in PED are dominated by the surface properties of the electrode, and as a consequence, members of each chemical class of compounds produce virtually identical voltammetric responses. Thus, the full analytical potential is achieved when combined with an a priori separation. Although popularized in combination with high performance liquid chromatography, the combination of PED with highly efficient microseparation techniques offer the analyst unique advantages. This paper reviews the fundamental aspects of PED especially at microelectrodes, and its application in microchromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques, including microchip devices.     

Sensitive and selective electrochemical sensing of L-cysteine based on a caterpillar-like manganese dioxide-carbon nanocomposite

A novel one-dimensional (1-D) caterpillar-like manganese dioxide-carbon (MnO(2)-C) nanocomposite has been synthesized by a direct redox reaction between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and permanganate ions for the first time. The as-prepared nanostructured MnO(2)-C composite mainly consisting of ε-MnO(2) nanoflakes had a unique microstructure, high specific surface area (200 m(2) g(-1)) and favourable conductivity. The nanostructured MnO(2)-C composite, added as a modification to the glassy carbon (GC) electrode via a direct electrochemical co-deposition process with a chitosan hydrogel, was found to exhibit excellent catalytic activity toward L-cysteine electro-oxidation because the specific interaction between the -SH group of L-cysteine and solid MnO(2) occurred to form surface complexes. A determination of L-cysteine at the MnO(2)-C/chitosan/GC (MnO(2)-C/chit/GC) electrode was carried out by amperometric measurement. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the detection response for L-cysteine was fast (within 7 s). The logarithm of catalytic currents shows a good linear relationship with that of the L-cysteine concentration in the range of 0.5-680 μM (R = 0.9986), with a low detection limit of 22 nM. The MnO(2)-C/Chit/GC electrode exhibited excellent stability (without any decrease of the response signal after 1 month) and admirable resistance against interference like glutathione and other oxidizable amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine, L-lysine and methionine).