PNNL

Abstract

A spectroelectrochemical sensor that combines three modes of selectivity in a single device was evaluated in natural and treated water samples using tris-(2,2’-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) dichloride hexahydrate, [Ru(bpy)3]2+, as a model analyte. The sensor was an optically transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode coated with a thin film of partially sulfonated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SSEBS). As the potential of the ITO electrode was cycled from +0.7 to +1.3 V, the analyte changed from the colored [Ru(bpy)3]2+ complex to colorless [Ru(bpy)3]3+ complex and the change in absorbance at 450 nm was used as the optical signal for quantification. Calibration curves were obtained for [Ru(bpy)3]2+ in natural well water, river water and treated tap water with detection limits of 108, 139 and 264 nM, respectively. A standard addition method was developed to determine an *unknown* spike addition concentration of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ in well water. The spectroelectrochemical sensor determined the concentration of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ spiked into a sample of Hanford well water to be 0.39*0.03 mM versus the actual concentration of 0.40 mM.