Electrodes Modification Based on Metal-Free Phthalocyanine: Example of Electrochemical Sensors for the Detection of Acetic Acid

Abstract

Electroanalytical properties of tetra-tert-butyl phthalocyanine (PcH2-tBu) modified electrodes are studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The modified electrodes are obtained by CV deposition techniques on gold (Au) and glassy carbon (C) screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) and used for the electrochemical detection of acetic acid (AA). Based on the CV experiments, the electrodeposition mechanism is detailed. The modified PcH2-tBu electrodes reveal one oxidation and one reduction peak within the potential window of the working electrodes. In the presence of the analyte (acetic acid), the modified electrodes show sensitivity in the range of 10 mM to 400 mM. For the PcH2-tBu modified Au electrode, a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.89 mM (based on the +0.06 V peak) was obtained while for the PcH2-tBu modified C electrode a LOD of 17.76 mM (based on the +0.07 V peak) was achieved. A signal decay of 17%, based on 20 experiments, is obtained when gold is used as working electrode. If carbon is used as working electrode a value of 7% is attained. A signal decay is observed after more than 50 cycles of experiments and is more pronounced when higher concentrations of acetic acid are used. A mechanism of sensing is proposed at the end.