Gold electrodes from recordable CDs for mercury quantification by flow injection analysis

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Mercury contamination poses significant environmental and health risks.
• Accurate and accessible mercury detection methods are crucial for monitoring water quality.
• Traditional gold electrodes for mercury detection can be expensive and require maintenance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-cost, efficient flow cell for mercury detection.
• To utilize recycled recordable CDs as a novel working electrode material.
• To validate the performance of the developed system for environmental water analysis.

Main Methods:

• Construction of flow cells using thin gold layers from recordable CDs as working electrodes (CDtrodes).
• Optimization of experimental parameters for potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA).
• Testing and validation using standard mercury solutions and environmental water samples (oceanic and tap water).

Main Results:

• Achieved low mercury detection limits (0.25 ng/mL) with good precision (1.9% SD).
• Demonstrated linear standard curves over a wide mercury concentration range (0.5-100 µg/L).
• CDtrodes exhibited performance comparable to commercial gold electrodes, with enhanced versatility and low cost.

Conclusions:

• Recycled CD gold layers provide a viable, economical alternative for mercury detection electrodes.
• The developed flow cell methodology is effective for quantifying mercury in environmental water samples.
• This approach offers a sustainable and accessible solution for mercury monitoring.