Rotating disk potentiometry for inner solution optimization of low-detection-limit ion-selective electrodes.

The extent of optimization of the lower detection limit of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) can be assessed with an elegant new method. At the detection limit (i.e., in the absence of primary ions in the sample), one can observe a reproducible change in the membrane potential upon alteration of the aqueous diffusion layer thickness. This stir effect is predicted to depend on the composition of the inner solution, which is known to influence the lower detection limit of the potentiometric sensor dramatically. For an optimized electrode, the stir effect is calculated to be exactly one-half the value of the case when substantial coextraction occurs at the inner membrane side. In contrast, there is no stir effect when substantial ion exchange occurs at the inner membrane side. Consequently, this experimental method can be used to determine how well the inner filling solution has been optimized. A rotating disk electrode was used in this study because it provides adequate control of the aqueous diffusion layer thickness. Various ion-selective membranes with a variety of inner solutions that gave different calculated concentrations of the complex at the inner membrane side were studied to evaluate this principle. They contained the well-examined silver ionophore O,O' '-bis[2-(methylthio)ethyl]-tert-butylcalix[4]arene, the potassium ionophore valinomycin, or the iodide carrier [9]mercuracarborand-3. Stir effects were determined in different background solutions and compared to theoretical expectations. Correlations were good, and the results encourage the use of such stir-effect measurements to optimize ISE compositions for real-world applications. The technique was also found to be useful in estimating the level of primary ion impurities in the sample. For an iodide-selective electrode measured in phosphoric acid, for example, apparent iodide impurity levels were calculated as 5 x 10(-10) M.

Dynamic diffusion model for tracing the real-time potential response of polymeric membrane ion-selective electrodes.

A numerical solution for the prediction of the time-dependent potential response of a polymeric-based ion-selective electrode (ISE) is presented. The model addresses short- and middle-term potential drifts that are dependent on changes in concentration gradients in the aqueous sample and organic membrane phase. This work has important implications for the understanding of the real-time response behavior of potentiometric sensors with low detection limits and with nonclassical super-Nernstian response slopes. As a model system, the initial exposure of membranes containing the well-examined silver ionophore O,O' '-bis[2-(methylthio)ethyl]-tert-butylcalix[4]arene was monitored, and the large observed potential drifts were compared to theoretical predictions. The model is based on an approximate solution of the diffusion equation for both aqueous and organic diffusion layers using a numerical scheme (finite difference in time and finite elements in space). The model may be evaluated on the basis of experimentally available parameters and gives time-dependent information previously inaccessible with a simpler steady-state diffusion model. For the cases studied, the model gave a very good correlation with experimental data, albeit with lower than expected diffusion coefficients for the organic phase. This model may address numerous open questions regarding the response time and memory effects of low-detection-limit ion-selective electrodes and for other membrane electrodes where ion fluxes are relevant.

Plasticizer-free polymer containing a covalently immobilized Ca2+-selective ionophore for potentiometric and optical sensors.

A derivative of a known Ca2+-selective ionophore, ETH 129, was synthesized to contain a polymerizable acrylic moiety (AU-1) and covalently grafted into a methyl methacrylate-co-decyl methacrylate polymer matrix. The polymer containing AU-1 was prepared via a simple one-step homogeneous polymerization method. It exhibited mechanical properties suitable for the fabrication of plasticizer-free ion-selective membrane electrodes and bulk optode films by solvent-casting and spin-coating techniques, respectively. The segmented sandwich membrane technique was utilized to assess the binding constant of free and covalently bound ionophores to calcium and to study their diffusion coefficients in the membrane phase. Diffusion was greatly diminished for the bound ionophore. This was confirmed in ion-selective electrode membranes containing no calcium ions in the inner solution, which should normally show apparent super-Nernstian response slopes in dilute calcium solutions. The response slope was Nernstian down to submicromolar concentration levels, indicating slow mass transport of calcium in the membrane. Optical-sensing films with the new copolymer matrix, unblended and blended with PVC-DOS, also confirmed that covalently bound ionophores are fully functional for maintaining selective ion extraction and binding properties of the sensing membrane.

Improving the detection limit of anion-selective electrodes: an iodide-selective membrane with a nanomolar detection limit.

The lower detection limit and the selectivity behavior of anion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are improved by using optimized inner solutions and membrane compositions. With a membrane based on the recently described ionophore [9]mercuracarborand-3, a detection limit of 2 x 10(-9) M has been achieved for iodide. Nevertheless, the improvements are less pronounced than in the case of cation ISEs. This is mainly due to the fact that so far no anion ISE is known with the extremely high selectivities of cation ISEs. If the membrane does not contain an ionophore, leaching of the ion exchanger from the membrane into the sample is also a relevant limiting factor except for ion exchangers of very high lipophilicity.