Langmuir–Blodgett film of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene modified glassy carbon electrode as voltammetric sensor for the determination of Hg(II)

The π–A isotherms and UV–vis spectra of the transferred films suggested that the monolayer of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene can coordinate with Hg2+ at the air–water surface. From these observations, a glassy carbon electrode coated with Langmuir–Blodgett film of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4] arene as a new voltammetric sensor is designed for the determination of trace amounts of Hg2+. Compared with bare glassy carbon electrode and modified glassy carbon electrode using direct coating method, the Langmuir–Blodgett film-modified electrode can greatly improve the measuring sensitivity of Hg2+. Under the selected conditions, the Langmuir–Blodgett film-modified electrode in 0.1 mol L−1 H2SO4 + 0.01 mol L−1 KCl solution shows a linear voltammetric response for Hg2+ in the range of 5.0 × 10−10 to 1.5 × 10−7 mol L−1, with a detection limit of 2.0 × 10−10 mol L−1. The proposed method was also applied to determine Hg2+ in water samples (tap, lake and river water). In addition, the fabricated electrode exhibited a distinct advantage of simple preparation, non-toxicity, good reproducibility and good stability.