Green and facile electrode modification by spark discharge: Bismuth oxide-screen printed electrodes for the screening of ultra-trace Cd(II) and Pb(II)

• Published in: Electrochemistry communications Vol. 50; pp. 20 - 23
• Main Authors: Riman, Daniel, Jirovsky, David, Hrbac, Jan, Prodromidis, Mamas I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Bismuth electrode; Electric discharge; Screen printed electrode; Spark deposition; Stripping voltammetry; Toxic heavy metals; Stripping voltammetry; Spark deposition; Screen printed electrode; Electric discharge; Bismuth electrode; Toxic heavy metals
• ISSN: 1388-2481; 1873-1902
• DOI: 10.1016/j.elecom.2014.11.003

We report that highly effective electrode modification can be achieved by sparking process between a flat electrode substrate and a tip counter electrode. The concept is introduced by the development of Bi2O3-modified graphite screen printed electrodes (SPEs). SPEs were sparked with a bismuth wire at 1.2kV under atmospheric conditions. The effect of polarity on the morphology of the sensing surface, bismuth loading and the sensitivity of the resulting sensors for the simultaneous anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Cd(II) and Pb(II) was investigated. Compared with electroplated and various bismuth precursors bulk-modified SPEs, the developed sparked electrodes exhibited considerably lower limit of detection (0.2μgL−1, S/N=3) for each target ion. Therefore, sparking technique offers a facile and green approach for the development of highly sensitive bismuth-based electrodes, and a wide-scope of applicability in the development of metal-modified sensing surfaces. [Display omitted] •Electric discharge was used to modify graphite screen-printed electrodes (SPEs).•The discharge occurred in ambient air between SPEs and a bismuth tip at E=1.2kV.•Sparking process produced loosely agglomerated Bi2O3 NPs, readily reducible to Bi(0).•High sensitivity in simultaneous ASV sensing of Cd(II) and Pb(II) is demonstrated.•Sparking technique offers an easy and green approach with wide-scope of applicability.