Comparison of Ion-Selective and Carbon Fiber Mercury Film Microelectrodes for Cadmium Measurement

Abstract

Cadmium ion-selective microelectrodes and carbon fiber mercury film microelectrodes were fabricated and compared in this research. In order to determine whether either microelectrode could be used in biofilm microenvironmental profile studies, their performances were evaluated under different pH, buffer concentration, and ionic strength conditions. Both microelectrodes showed good linearity during calibration. pH did not have a significant impact on the ion-selective microelectrode, but significantly changed the performance of the carbon fiber mercury film microelectrode. Tris buffer was evaluated for pH control and found to increase readings of both microelectrodes. Ionic strength had a similar impact on both microelectrodes. Both microelectrodes had high selectivity for