Ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles as a high-capacity transducer in solid-contact polymer membrane-based pH-selective electrodes

Abstract

A new approach is presented for the design of ion selective electrodes. Ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles were incorporated into solid-contact electrodes, and their properties were studied for the case of pH-selective electrodes. The use of the RuO2 is shown to significantly improve the potentiometric response, while no redox response is observed. The use of RuO2 results in a Nernstian slope (59 mV/decade) towards hydrogen ions over a wide linear range (pH 2 to 12). The results obtained by chronopotentiometry reveal small resistance, and the capacitance is as high as 1.12 mF. This results in a good stability of the response and in a low potential drift (0.89 μV∙s−1). The electrodes exhibit properties nearly as excellent as those of a glass electrode, but they are much smaller, less fragile, and easy to use. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].