Electrochemical Determination of As(III) at Nanoporous Gold Electrodes with Controlled Surface Area

Because arsenic (As) is a chemical substance toxic to humans, there have been extensive investigations on the development of As detection methods. In this study, the electrochemical determination of As on nanoporous gold (NPG) electrodes was investigated using anodic stripping voltammetry. The electrochemical surface area of the NPG electrodes was controlled by changing the reaction times during the anodization of Au for NPG preparation, and its effect on the electrochemical behavior during As detection was examined. The detection efficiency of the NPG electrodes improved as the roughness factor of the NPG electrodes increased up to around 100. A further increase in the surface area of the NPG electrodes resulted in a decrease of the detection efficiency due to high background current levels. The most efficient As detection efficiency was obtained on the NPG electrodes prepared with an anodization time of 50 s. The effects of the detection parameters and of the Cu interference in As detection were investigated and the NPG electrode was compared to flat Au electrodes.