Schiff base modified screen printed electrode for selective determination of aluminium(III) at trace level

An electrochemical method for determination of Al(III) has been developed using Schiff base (JS-1) modified screen printed electrodes as a disposable chemosensor. The modified screen printed electrode was characterized with voltammetry and was further confirmed by SEM and EDX data. Differential pulse voltammogram of modified SPE in the presence of Al(III) showed a characteristic peak current at -0.054 V. A linear response of the sensor was observed in the concentration range of 0.67-4.59 mu g L-1 of the analyte. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 2.26 ng L-1 for Al(III). The proposed chemosensor selectively detects Al(III) in the presence of some alkali, alkaline earth, transition metal ions like Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II). Complexation behavior of the ionophore for the metal ion has also been supported by theoretical studies. The method has been used for the determination of Al(III) in the natural water samples. The proposed voltammetric sensor can be reused after washing with EDTA (0.1 M) as a cleaning agent. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.