A solid-contact Ca2+-selective electrode based on an inorganic redox buffer of Ag@AgCl/1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride as ion-to-electron transducer

Abstract For construction of solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs), ion-to-electron transducers based on the redox capacitance transduction mechanism are currently restricted to organic materials. Exploring inorganic nanomaterials with high redox buffer capacities as intermediate layers for SC-ISEs would offer another alternative. Herein, a solid-contact calcium ion-selective electrode (SC–Ca2+-ISE) with a new inorganic redox buffer-Ag@AgCl/1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (TMMCl) as the ion-to-electron transducer is presented. In this system, the predominant component core-shell Ag@AgCl nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 30 to 100 nm can be prepared through a two-step process. An ionic liquid TMMCl is used to offer a source of free Cl−. The developed SC-Ca2+-ISE exhibits a near Nernstian slope of 28.3 mV/decade for Ca2+ in the range of 10−6 - 10−2 M. By using of the inorganic redox buffer, the SC-Ca2+-ISE has a smaller impedance and higher capacitance than the coated-wire electrode, which guarantees a stable potential response. Additionally, the proposed SC-Ca2+-ISE shows excellent resistances to interferences of light, O2 and CO2, with a reduced water layer formed between the ion-selective membrane and the underlying solid contact. The developed inorganic redox buffer of Ag@AgCl/TMMCl can be effectively used as a new ion-to-electron transducer for construction of solid contact ISEs.