Newly selective electrochemical sensors for trace-level determination of Al(III) ions in drainage water,spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples

In this work, two newly sensitive and selective Al(III)-modified carbon paste electrodes (MCPEs) were developed based on diphenylcarbazone (DPC) modifier mixed with tricresyl phosphate plasticizer and either graphite powder (electrode I) or graphite powder mixed with graphene (electrode II). The potentiometric performance characteristics of the two electrodes were scrutinized and discussed. The proposed sensors showed a high electrochemical response in the linear concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with a good Nernstian slopes of 20.12 ± 0.30 mV decade⁻¹ and 20.63 ± 0.66 mV decade⁻¹ and limits of detection of 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 8.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. Both electrodes showed a fast response time and reasonable thermal stability. The potentiometric response of the DPC-based electrodes was independent on the pH of the tested solutions in ranges of 2.5–5 and 2.5–5.5 for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. The two electrodes can be also used in partially non-aqueous medium containing up to 20% (v/v) acetone or methanol with no significant changes in the working concentration ranges or the slopes. The proposed electrodes showed fairly good discriminating ability toward Al(III) ions in comparison with many other metal ions. The electrodes were applied successfully for Al(III) ions determination in drainage water, spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples. Furthermore, the electrode surfaces were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) as surface characterization techniques and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) technique to confirm the interaction between Al(III) and DPC.

     

Electrochemical performance of Mg–9Al–1Zn alloy in aqueous medium

A systematic study on the corrosion and passivation behavior of AZ91D alloy in relation to the influence of concentration, temperature, pH, and immersion time was made in aqueous sulfate solution using electrochemical techniques including open-circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopy. It was found that the corrosion and pitting potentials (E _corr and E _pit) of the alloy drift to more active values with increasing either concentration (0.01–1.0 M) or temperature (278–338 K) of the test solution, suggesting that sulfate solution enhances the alloy dissolution, particularly at higher temperatures. On the other hand, values of the total film resistance (R _T) indicate that neutral solution (pH 7.0) supports the formation of a better protective layer on AZ91D surface than alkaline (pH 12.5) or acidic (pH 1.0) medium. The growth of a protective film on the alloy surface at short immersion times (up to ∼50 h) is evinced by a rapid positive evolution of E _corr and fast decrease in the corrosion rate (i _corr). However, for a long-term exposure (up to 500 h) E _corr drifts negatively and i _corr increases due to breakdown of the protective film, which causes a decrease in the alloy stability. Fitting the impedance data to equivalent circuit models suitable to each behavior assisted to explore the mechanism for the attack of the sample surface at various testing times. The results obtained from the three studied electrochemical techniques are in good agreement.     

Potential Application of Carbon-based Electrical Sensor for the Highly Sensitive Diltiazem HCl Quantification in its Pharmaceutical Products and Biological Samples

Diltiazem (DTZ) hydrochloride, a calcium channel blocker compound, is a very well-known drug used by many clinicians to treat important diseases playing a role in increased morbidity and mortality among adults worldwide, namely hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, and ischemic heart disease (angina pectoris). These diseases are a common public health concern, implying that the construction of a specific, accurate, and simple sensor for DTZ determination is needed. Herein, an innovative, portable, and sensitive modified carbon paste electrode (MCPE) was seamlessly developed based on the affordable green compound N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a sensing material and tricresyl phosphate as a solvent mediator for the voltammetric determination of DTZ. The proposed NBS-MCPE exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of DTZ molecules in a phosphate buffer solution of pH 5.0 in presence of 20 μM sodium dodecyl sulfate to improve the developed sensor performance. The sensor was found to respond linearly to the DTZ drug over a wide concentration ranging from 1 μM to 300 μM with a low limit of detection. LSV and EIS measurements were also used to scrutinize our sensor, in addition to using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis techniques for its surface morphology inspection before and after soaking in the drug-containing solution. The applicability of the proposed sensor for the rapid, sensitive, and selective determination of DTZ in pharmaceutical preparation and human urine samples was assessed and the obtained results were compared with that of the reported HPLC analytical method.