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Potentiometric stripping analysis of arsenic using a graphene paste electrode modified with a thiacrown ether and gold nanoparticles

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Abstract

An electrochemical method is presented for the determination of arsenic at subnanomolar levels. It is based on potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) using a graphene paste electrode modified with the thiacrown 1,4,7-trithiacyclononane (TTCN) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The electrode surface was characterized by means of cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronocoulometry and scanning electron microscopy. The modified electrode displays a 15-fold enhancement in the PSA signal (dt/dE) compared to a conventional graphene paste electrode. Under optimized conditions, the signal is proportional to the concentration of As(III) in the range from 25 pM to 34 nM (r2 = 0.9977), and the detection limit (SD/s) is as low as 8 pM. The modified electrode was successfully applied to the determination of total arsenic [i.e., As(III) and As(V)] in pharmaceutical formulations, human hair, sea water, fruits, vegetables, soil, and wine samples.

In the preconcentration step, arsenic forms stable intermetallic compounds with the gold substrate while allowing As to be reproducibly reoxidized during the stripping step. This, along with the complexing properties of the thiacrown TTCN towards As(III), results in a synergistic effect leading to a TTCN-AuNP-graphene paste electrode as a highly sensitive sensor for arsenic.

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Acknowledgments

The funding for this work is partly by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India and partly by the US Army International Technology Center, Tokyo, Japan through contract number FA2386-12-1-4086.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA

    Bankim J. Sanghavi

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Mumbai, Vidyanagari, Santacruz (East), Mumbai, 400 098, India

    Nayan S. Gadhari, Pramod K. Kalambate & Ashwini K. Srivastava

  3. U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, ATTN: RDRL-WM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 21005-5069, USA

    Shashi P. Karna

Authors
  1. Bankim J. Sanghavi
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  2. Nayan S. Gadhari
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  3. Pramod K. Kalambate
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  4. Shashi P. Karna
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  5. Ashwini K. Srivastava
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Correspondence to Ashwini K. Srivastava.

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Sanghavi, B.J., Gadhari, N.S., Kalambate, P.K. et al. Potentiometric stripping analysis of arsenic using a graphene paste electrode modified with a thiacrown ether and gold nanoparticles. Microchim Acta 182, 1473–1481 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1470-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1470-3

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