Abstract
A conducting polymer-based composite material of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT): poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) doped with different percentages of a room temperature ionic liquid (IL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM][BF4]), was prepared and a very small amount of the composite (2.0 µL) was drop-coated on the working area of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The SPCE, modified with PEDOT:PSS/IL composite thin-film, was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), profilometry and sessile contact angle measurements. The prepared PEDOT:PSS/IL composite thin-film exhibited a nano-porous microstructure and was found to be highly stable and conductive with enhanced electrocatalytic properties towards catechol, a priority pollutant. The linear working range for catechol was found to be 0.1 µM–330.0 µM with a sensitivity of 18.2 mA·mM·cm−2 and a calculated limit of detection (based on 3× the baseline noise) of 23.7 µM. When the PEDOT:PSS/IL/SPCE sensor was used in conjunction with amperometry in stirred solution for the analysis of natural water samples, the precision values obtained on spiked samples (20.0 µM catechol added) (n = 3) were 0.18% and 0.32%, respectively, with recovery values that were well over 99.0%.
Highlights
Over the past 20 years, the development of sensitive and real-time analysis of phenolic compounds has received substantial scientific interest due to their high toxicity on the ecosystem, environment as well as human health [1]
The interface properties of the bare Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode (SPCE) and PEDOT:PSS/20%ionic liquid (IL)/SPCE sensor were further characterized by Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the presence of 5.0 mM
This increase in the hydrophilicity of the coated electrode means that the properties of the PEDOT:PSS/20%IL composite can be manipulated in buffer solution; making it a suitable surface for the immobilization of biomolecules
Summary
Over the past 20 years, the development of sensitive and real-time analysis of phenolic compounds has received substantial scientific interest due to their high toxicity on the ecosystem, environment as well as human health [1]. Colloidal dispersions of PEDOT can be readily made through the addition of poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) to form the doped compound PEDOT:PSS This doped version of the polymer has excellent conductivity and exhibits good mechanical properties [23]; it has been applied to the development of various devices and sensors [24,25,26]. Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are organic/inorganic salts that are liquid at room temperature and are usually considered to be ‘green solvents’ They are known to have good chemical stability, high ionic conductivity, negligible vapor pressure, low flammability and have been used in many technological fields [14]. Details of the sensor fabrication, assembly, and characterization are described and discussed
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