Issue 16, 2024

Development of a flow system for decentralized electrochemical analysis of heavy metals using screen-printed electrodes: the importance of sensor stability

Abstract

Year after year, the need for decentralized tools to tackle the monitoring of heavy metal levels in the environment gradually increases. In this context, suitable electrochemical methodologies are widely established and particularly attractive for the production of low-cost miniaturized field-deployable analytical platforms. This work focused on the development of an automatable portable system based on square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) for the on-line detection of heavy metals. The surface of the sensors is appropriately modified and coupled with a fluidic system equipped with an ad-hoc designed flow cell. A custom software tool was introduced to handle the remote-controlled potentiostat and automate the various steps of the procedure, including stirring operations, cleaning phases, SWASV measurements, and data collection. After studying technical and analytical challenges, the final system developed was applied to the simultaneous detection of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Cu(II) in solution, achieving sub-ppb detection limits. Additionally, the practical applicability of the method was successfully applied to river water samples collected from the Loire basin in France.

Graphical abstract: Development of a flow system for decentralized electrochemical analysis of heavy metals using screen-printed electrodes: the importance of sensor stability

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Apr 2024
Accepted
10 Jun 2024
First published
11 Jun 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Analyst, 2024,149, 4239-4249

Development of a flow system for decentralized electrochemical analysis of heavy metals using screen-printed electrodes: the importance of sensor stability

S. Laschi, P. S. Sfragano, F. Tadini-Buoninsegni, N. Guigues and I. Palchetti, Analyst, 2024, 149, 4239 DOI: 10.1039/D4AN00616J

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