Electrochemical sensors and devices for heavy metals assay in water: the French groups' contribution

Abstract

A great challenge in the area of heavy metal trace detection is the development of electrochemical techniques and devices which are user-friendly, robust, selective, with low detection limits and allowing fast analyses. This review presents the major contribution of the French scientific academic community in the field of electrochemical sensors and electroanalytical methods within the last 20 years. From the well-known polarography to the up-to-date generation of functionalized interfaces, the different strategies dedicated to analytical performances improvement are exposed: stripping voltammetry, solid mercury-free electrode, ion selective sensor, carbon based materials, chemically modified electrodes, nano-structured surfaces. The paper particularly emphasizes their advantages and limits face to the last Water Frame Directive devoted to the Environmental Quality Standards for heavy metals. Recent trends on trace metal speciation as well as on automatic “on line” monitoring devices are also evoked.

Electrochemical determination of inorganic mercury and arsenic—A review

“…No doubt, significant developments have been made to improve sensitivity and limit of detection as a number of electrochemical techniques with potential or current modulation have been developed e.g., differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), square wave voltammetry (SWV) or stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP). Moreover, work on selectivity enhancement, especially in case of heavy metal detection, has been carried out through surface functionalization strategies (Pujol et al 2014).…”

Effects of dynamic polarization on boron-doped NCD properties and on its performance for electrochemical-analysis of Pb (II), Cu (II) and Hg (II) in aqueous solution via direct LSV

“…In their report, the authors listed the comparison of their results with other research which shows various level of detection limit ranging from few to thousand nM depend on the BDD doping level and applied stripping voltammetry parameters. Pujol et al (2014) summarized analytical performances and experimental conditions obtained for heavy metals detection in French scientific community [15] and shows that few nM detection limit can be achieved with pre-concentration ranging from 20 s to 600 s at potential much negative to the standard potential of the respective metals using either square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) or differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Logically, the lower the heavy metals concentration in the solution, the longer the pre-concentration time needed in order to increase the detection limit of the system.…”

Fabrication of Novel Amperometric Sensor for the Detection of Zinc Metal as an Environment Pollutant

“…The detection of metals as an environment pollutant proves to be very beneficial for mankind because like the other pollutants such as pesticides, household chemicals, the harmful metals represent a growing environment pollutant concern 1,2 . Environment contamination by the trace and toxic metals shows a major environmental pollution issue, which ended in an increasing demand for the sensitive and selective sensor 3 .…”

“…To overcome these limitations, there is urgent need to fabricate amperometric sensor which is a rapid technique, provide the accurate information, portable and cost effective analytical method 11 . For a definitive electrochemical biosensor there is need of a suitable receptor in the recognition layer, the receptor is a molecule that binds the marked object [12][13][14][15][16][17] . In the last few decades, there has been reported many applications of conducting polymers [18][19][20] .…”