Impedimetric Thiourea Sensing in Copper Electrorefining Bath based on DC Magnetron Sputtered Nanosilver as Highly Uniform Transducer

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 184; pp. 475 - 482
• Main Authors: Mozaffari, S.A., Amoli, H. Salar, Simorgh, S., Rahmanian, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2015
• Subjects: Copper electrorefining bath; DC magnetron sputtering; Impedimetric assessment; Nanostructured silver film; Thiourea sensing; Copper electrorefining bath; Thiourea sensing; Nanostructured silver film; DC magnetron sputtering; Impedimetric assessment
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2015.10.076

[Display omitted] •Fabrication of a novel disposable impedimetric thiourea sensor based on nanostructured Ag film transducer.•Exploiting sputtering as a high-tech method for preparation of highly uniform nanostructured Ag film.•A wonderful combination of nanostructured Ag film and carbon paper substrate as remarkably stable and reproducible sensor for thiourea detection in copper electrorefining bath.•Application of impedimetric assessment for thiourea monitoring due to its rapidity, sensitivity, and repeatability. Highly uniform sputtered nanostructured silver (Nano-Ag) film on the conductive carbon paper (CP) substrate (Nano-Ag/CP) was applied as a novel approach for thiourea (TU) measurement in copper electrorefining bath. Nano-Ag film was achieved by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system at the optimized instrumental deposition conditions. Characterization of the surface structure of Nano-Ag film by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), exhibits uniform Nano-Ag film as an effective transducer for TU sensing. Step by step monitoring of Nano-Ag/CP electrode fabrication were performed using electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Fabricated Nano-Ag/CP electrode was used for TU determination using EIS assessment. The impedimetric results show high sensitivity for TU sensing within 2.0–250ppm.