Abstract

In the present work, a novel electrochemical sensor modified glassy carbon electrode with ion-imprinted polymers (IIP-GCE) was applied for uranyl ions (UO(2)(2+)) determination. Surface modifier was synthesized through precipitation polymerization method, using acrylic acid as a monomer, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator, and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) as cross-linker. A new uranyl-trans-3-(3-pyridyl) acrylic acid complex was employed, serving as an active and specific site on the synthesized modifier. Next, the synthesized modifier was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. UO(2)(2+) ions were detected using a differential pulse adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry method. Under the optimized conditions (pH = 8.0, pre-concentration time = 10 min and pre-concentration potential = -0.30 V), the modified electrode exhibited linear behavior in the interval of 1.27-95.49 μg.L(-1) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.43 μg.L(-1). Also, the constructed ion-imprinted sensor showed a successful application for determining UO(2)(2+) ions with recovery range of 97.6-101 in real samples.