Detection of metal ions in aqueous solution by voltohmmetry

A new electrochemical detection principle is described for the trace analysis of dissolved species which can be deposited at polycrystalline thin-film metal electrodes and which change the surface resistance of the electrode. Because the latter parameter is measured in dependence on the applied electrode potential this method is called voltohmmetry. The preparation of the required thin-film electrodes and the experimental set-up is introduced and discussed. Typical voltohmmetric experiments are illustrated by measurements of T1+/T1 at polycrystalline gold electrodes with a thickness of 15 nm. The analytical capabilities of this new approach are discussed. It is already possible to determine heavy metals such as T1(+), Pb(2+) or Cd(2+) in the range of a few mug/L by surface resistance-potential measurements at thin-film electrodes with a simple cyclic technique. Further developments of voltohmmetry are envisaged.