Estimation of trace element of strontium ion using ion selective electrode based on a ceramic cordierite nanoparticle in some vegetarian foods

Abstract

The development of an ion-selective electrode for the potentiometric measurement of strontium ions using ceramic nanoparticles (cordierite) as an ionophore was a concern in this study. The nano cordierite (Mg2Al4Si5O18) was synthesized by sol–gel method and subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with EDAX unit and contact angle. The XRD results confirm the purity and crystalline structure of nanoparticles. The average crystallite size and particle size were studied by Debye-Scherrer equation, TEM, and SEM and it is found to be 16.9 and 29.29 nm which is a mesoporous structure. Cordierite nanoparticles were used to accelerate the electron transfer which refers to the extensive surface area, electrical characteristics, porous design, and nanoscale dimension. The carbon paste electrode optimization was done to study the potentiometric performance of Sr(II) ion detection. The electrode composition was 5.0 % synthetic ionophere, 28.9 % tricresylphosphate (TCP), and 65.8 % graphite powder (w/w). Stable potentiometric behavior was shown in the concentration range 1.0 × 10−6 −1.0 × 10−2 mol/L (R2 = 0.998). The electrode detection limit and response time were 5.0 × 10−7 mol/L and 6 s, respectively. As well as the electrode showed selectivity towards the Sr(II) ion in the vicinity of certain cation species. Also, it was performed without any variations in response within the pH range of 3–8. Additionally, Sr(II) ion determination was detected in some real samples (plant origin) such as legumes (kidney bean), cereals (wheat), leafy vegetables (cabbage), stems (onion), roots (carrot), fruits (tomatoes) and nuts (almond) with high recoveries and reproducibility through around 72 days. Subsequently, the outcome was assessed against the ICP technique's superior performance.