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

The pi-A isotherms and UV-vis spectra of the transferred films suggested that the monolayer of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene can coordinate with Hg(2+) 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 Hg(2+). 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 Hg(2+). Under the selected conditions, the Langmuir-Blodgett film-modified electrode in 0.1molL(-1) H(2)SO(4)+0.01molL(-1) KCl solution shows a linear voltammetric response for Hg(2+) in the range of 5.0x10(-10) to 1.5x10(-7)molL(-1), with a detection limit of 2.0x10(-10)molL(-1). The proposed method was also applied to determine Hg(2+) 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.