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A dual-readout paper-based analytical device for the simultaneous determination of hexavalent Cr and total Cr

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Abstract

A paper-based analytical device (PAD) is presented with colorimetric/electrochemical dual readouts for the simultaneous sensing of total chromium (Cr) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). This device consists of a homemade three-electrode system and a patterned paper chip, integrating multiple functions including electrochemical detection, fluid driving, online oxidation, and colorimetric detection. The fiberglass filter paper with a hydrophilic microchannel was used to achieve self-driving fluidics without external equipment. One end of the microchannel was integrated with a homemade three-electrode system to achieve sample loading and electrochemical detection. The middle region on the microchannel was modified with oxidizing reagents to perform online pretreatment, and the yield of Cr(III) oxidation can reach 97.9%, ensuring reliable colorimetric detection of total Cr at another end of the microchannel modified with chromogenic agents. With this device, the signals of Cr(VI) (the signal peak at 0.29 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and total Cr can be obtained in one single injection. After optimization, the limit of detection (LOD) of Cr(VI) and total Cr were 0.01 mg L−1 and 0.06 mg L−1 and the linear ranges were 0.05–3.0 mg L−1 and 0.2–3.0 mg L−1, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of the electrochemical testing of Cr(VI) results were in a range 1.3%–8.7% (n = 3), and the RSD values of the colorimetric testing of total Cr were between 0.7–9.2% (n = 3). The device’s reliability was demonstrated by performing the practical speciation of Cr in tap water, river water, and electroplating wastewater while the recoveries obtained using the present method were in the range 93.5–106%. Overall, the proposed device provides high application prospect in the on-site rapid Cr speciation.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Beijing Outstanding Young Scientist Program (BJJWZYJH01201910005017) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21936001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation, Department of Chemistry and Chemistry Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China

    Yingying An & Xiayan Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Consumer Product Quality Safety Inspection and Risk Assessment for State Market Regulation, Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing, China

    Wan Wang, Qing Lv & Qing Zhang

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  1. Yingying An
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  2. Wan Wang
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  3. Qing Lv
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  4. Qing Zhang
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  5. Xiayan Wang
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Correspondence to Qing Zhang or Xiayan Wang.

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Supplementary Information

Additional file 1: Fig. S1 Reaction of Cr (VI) with DPC to form Cr(III)-DPCO complex [7]. Fig. S2 (a) Effect of Ce (IV) oxidizerconcentration on the colorimetric intensity of the Cr-DPCO complex (n=3). (b) Effect of DPC concentration on the colorimetric intensity of the resulting complex (n=3). Sample: 2.0 mg L-1 Cr (III) in 0.01 M HCl. Insets display the corresponding photos. Fig. S3 Storage stability of the gold-coated PET electrodes (n = 3) for detection of the 1.0 mg L-1 Cr(VI). Table S1 Analytical performance of electrochemical and colorimetric methods for chromium speciation. Table S2 Determination of Cr (VI) and total Cr in real samples (n=3)

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An, Y., Wang, W., Lv, Q. et al. A dual-readout paper-based analytical device for the simultaneous determination of hexavalent Cr and total Cr. Microchim Acta 189, 445 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-022-05532-x

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