RESUMEN

Copper levels in biological fluids are associated with Wilson's, Alzheimer's, Menke's, and Parkinson's diseases, making them good biochemical markers for these diseases. This study introduces a miniaturized screen-printed electrode (SPE) for the potentiometric determination of copper(II) in some biological fluids. Manganese(III) oxide nanoparticles (Mn2O3-NPs), dispersed in Nafion, are drop-casted onto a graphite/PET substrate, serving as the ion-to-electron transducer material. The solid-contact material is then covered by a selective polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane incorporated with 18-crown-6 as a neutral ion carrier for the selective determination of copper(II) ions. The proposed electrode exhibits a Nernstian response with a slope of 30.2 ± 0.3 mV/decade (R2 = 0.999) over the linear concentration range 5.2 × 10-9 - 6.2 × 10-3 mol/l and a detection limit of 1.1 × 10-9 mol/l (69.9 ng/l). Short-term potential stability is evaluated using constant current chronopotentiometry (CP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A significant improvement in the electrode capacitance (91.5 µF) is displayed due to the use of Mn2O3-NPs as a solid contact. The presence of Nafion, with its high hydrophobicity properties, eliminates the formation of the thin water layer, facilitating the ion-to-electron transduction between the sensing membrane and the conducting substrate. Additionally, it enhances the adhesion of the polymeric sensing membrane to the solid-contact material, preventing membrane delamination and increasing the electrode's lifespan. The high selectivity, sensitivity, and potential stability of the proposed miniaturized electrode suggests its use for the determination of copper(II) ions in human blood serum and milk samples. The results obtained agree fairly well with data obtained by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry.

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RESUMEN

In this research, CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation methods and modified by coating with thiophene for removal of Hg(II) ions from aqueous solution. CuFe2O4 nanoparticles, with and without thiophene, were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Contact time, adsorbent dose, solution pH, adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm and recyclability were studied. The maximum adsorption capacity towards Hg2+ ions was 7.53 and 208.77 mg/g for CuFe2O4 and CuFe2O4@Polythiophene composite, respectively. Modification of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with thiophene revealed an enhanced adsorption towards Hg2+ removal more than CuFe2O4 nanoparticles. The promising adsorption performance of Hg2+ ions by CuFe2O4@Polythiophene composite generates from soft acid-soft base strong interaction between sulfur group of thiophene and Hg(II) ions. Furthermore, CuFe2O4@Polythiophene composite has both high stability and reusability due to its removal efficiency, has no significant decrease after five adsorption-desorption cycles and can be easily removed from aqueous solution by external magnetic field after adsorption experiments took place. Therefore, CuFe2O4@Polythiophene composite is applicable for removal Hg(II) ions from aqueous solution and may be suitable for removal other heavy metals.