Nanoporous Gold Microelectrode: A Novel Sensing Platform for Highly Sensitive and Selective Determination of Arsenic (III) using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Abstract

AbstractA home‐made gold microelectrode (Au‐μE) was fabricated and its surface was modified with nanoporous gold structures via a facile electrochemical approach (anodization followed by electrochemical reduction method). The fabricated nanoporous Au microelectrode (NPG‐μE) was used as a sensor probe for the determination of As(III) in 1.0 mol L−1 HCl solution using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the surface morphology and assess the electrochemical surface area and the roughness factor of the NPG‐μE. SWASVs recorded with the NPG‐μE in As(III) solutions indicated linear behaviour in the concentration ranges of 10–200 μg L−1 and 2–30 μg L−1, with regression coefficients of 0.996 and 0.999 at a deposition time of 120 s, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.62 μg L−1 with high sensitivity of 29.75 μA (μg L−1)−1 cm−2. Repeatability and reproducibility were also examined and values were determined as 3.2 % and 9.0 %. Negligible interference from major interfering copper ion was noticed, revealing the excellent anti‐interference property of the proposed sensing platform. The developed NPG‐μE was successfully used for As(III) determination in tap water samples.