Monitoring Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in natural water with an electrochemical flow cell using three-electrode system

A highly advanced three-electrode system integrated with an electrochemical flow cell has been meticulously developed for the precise determination of heavy metal ions in water, utilizing a mercury-modified electrode through differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The electrochemical flow cell has been ingeniously designed to effectively replace conventional and outdated three-electrode systems. By employing this innovative system in conjunction with the mercury-modified electrode, a strikingly low limit of detection (0.31 µg L^- 1 for Cd²⁺ and 0.75 µg L^- 1 for Pb²⁺) and an impressively wide range for determination (0-60 µg L^- 1 for Cd²⁺ and 0-100 µg L^- 1 for Pb²⁺) have been successfully achieved, fully meeting the stringent requirements for drinking water analysis. A relative standard deviation (RSD) of 5.34% for Cd²⁺ and 2.66% for Pb²⁺ proving the precision of the method. This system realizes real-time monitoring of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in natural water, featuring high accuracy and efficiency. Finally, the anti-shaking test convincingly demonstrated that the system has great potential for on-site monitoring, thus opening up a new path for water quality assessment.