Carbon Powder Based Films on Traditional Solid Electrodes as an Alternative to Disposable Electrodes

Abstract

The covering of conventional solid electrode with a film using an ink containing a conductive powder and a polymer enables to broaden the potential window of the original solid electrode. A solid silver amalgam electrode covered with such a film exhibits a potential window from À 600 mV to þ 1400 mV vs. SCE reference electrode. The renewal of the film is fast and simple: the electrode can be simply wiped with a filter paper to remove the old film and immersed into an ink solution or 1 -2 mL of this ink solution can be applied to the surface of the electrode with a micro dispenser to form a new film. Therefore, just the inexpensive film at the electrode surface is disposable and there is no need to dispose the whole, more expensive electrode. Moreover, when a suitable electrochemical pretreatment of the film electrode is applied, the same film can be used for reproducible measurements for several days.

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry of Environmental Carcinogens

“…However, we have recently successfully used carbon powder based films on traditional solid electrodes as an alternative to disposable electrodes [29] for DPV of both reducible and oxidizable carcinogens. The application of those carbon ink film electrodes for AdSV of those substances is recently investigated with promising preliminary results.…”

Comparison of Mercury Vapor Pressure of Silver Amalgam-Based Electrode Materials Using AAS

“…In the case of MF-MeSAE and m-MeSAE, the amalgam is wetted by liquid mercury which is forming ideally smooth and homogenous electroactive surface and is sucked into the porous amalgam effecting slow gradual amalgamation process. In the case of CF-MeSAE, electrode exhibits electrochemical properties similar to a carbon electrode and amalgam material serves only as a conductor (Yosypchuk, Barek, and Fojta 2006). Among metals available for SAE preparation, silver seems to perform best because of the absence of specific interactions between silver from silver amalgam and analytes (e.g., complexation with metal cations) as can be seen from comparison of DP peak potentials at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and m-AgSAE which are almost identical Novotny 2002a, 2002b).…”

“…Solid amalgam electrode (SAE) introduced in the year 2000 (Novotny and Yosypchuk 2000) is prepared by amalgamation of soft metal powder (MeSAE) to yield solid crystalline structure (in the case of silver it is Ag 2 Hg 3 (Fadrna 2004)). The SAE can be used in following versions: p-MeSAE -polished SAE not containing free mercury; MF-MeSAE -SAE covered by mercury film after electrolytic deposition of mercury on the amalgam surface; m-MeSAE -SAE covered by mercury meniscus prepared by immersing the surface of electrode into the liquid mercury; and CF-MeSAE -SAE covered by carbon film formed by immersing electrode's surface into the carbon ink in a volatile solvent prepared as described in a study (Yosypchuk, Barek, and Fojta 2006). In the case of MF-MeSAE and m-MeSAE, the amalgam is wetted by liquid mercury which is forming ideally smooth and homogenous electroactive surface and is sucked into the porous amalgam effecting slow gradual amalgamation process.…”

Preparation and Properties of Mercury Film Electrodes on Solid Amalgam Surface

“…It has been shown in our previous papers that solid amalgams are suitable materials for preparation of working electrodes [3 -6], reference electrodes [7,8] and a combined voltammetric-potentiometric sensor with a solid amalgam link [9]. Polished surface of a solid amalgam does not contain liquid mercury; it exhibits high hydrogen overvoltage [3,4] and it is suitable both for direct electrochemical measurements [10 -14] and for chemical modification with different modifiers [15,16] which can substantially broaden field of application of amalgam electrodes. One of possible ways of chemical modification of amalgam electrodes is their covering with a liquid mercury film.…”