Influence of phosphate buffer and proteins on the potentiometric response of a polymeric membrane-based solid-contact Pb(II) ion-selective electrode

•Influence of phosphate buffer and proteins on potentiometric response of Pb2+-ISEs•Lowering the detection limit of Pb2+-ISEs•Novel determination protocol of lead at low concentrations

In this work, the influence of phosphate buffer and proteins on the potentiometric response of a polymeric membrane-based solid-contact Pb2+-selective electrode (Pb2+-ISE) was studied. The effects of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption at the surface of the ion-selective membrane combined with electrode conditioning in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution was elucidated by potentiometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The adsorbed BSA at the surface of the Pb2+-ISE slightly lowered the detection limit but did not influence the selectivity of the Pb2+-ISE towards the interfering ions studied (Cu2+, Cd2+). Conditioning of the Pb2+-ISE in 0.01 mol dm-3 PBS resulted in a super-Nernstian response which was related to fixation/extraction of Pb2+ in the ion-selective membrane via precipitation of Pb3(PO4)2 by PO43- anions present in PBS. By conditioning of the Pb2+-ISE in 0.01 mol dm-3 PBS + 1 mg/ml BSA it was possible to extend the linear response range of the Pb2+-ISE towards lower analyte concentrations. The utilization of this conditioning procedure was validated by determination of Pb2+ concentrations down to ca 20 ppb in aqueous samples by Pb2+-ISEs and by comparing the results with those obtained by ICP-MS.

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