Characterization of Factors Affecting Stripping Voltammetry on Thermoplastic Electrodes

Abstract

Thermoplastic carbon electrodes (TPEs) are an alternative form of carbon composite electrodes that have shown excellent electrochemical performance with applications in biological sensing. However, little has been done to apply TPEs to environmental sensing, specifically heavy metal analysis. Based on their electrochemical properties, TPEs are expected to outperform other carbon composite materials for heavy metal analysis; however, despite testing multiple formulations, TPEs showed inferior performance. Detailed electrode characterization was conducted to examine the cause for poor heavy metal sensing behavior. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the surface functional groups, indicating that acidic and alkaline functional groups impact lead electrodeposition. Further, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical characterization demonstrated that both the binder and graphite can influence the surface morphology, electroactive area and electron kinetics.