Synthesis and characterization of new Zn-ion selective membranes as sensors for environmental monitoring

Potentiometric sensing utilizes reference ion-selective electrodes to determine the electrochemical concentration of target ions under various chemical conditions. Electrodes made from zinc (Zn) ions are used as electrochemical sensors to detect water pollution caused by heavy metals. In this work, the sensor device consisted of Zn ions as an ion exchanger and polyvinyl chloride and tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate as plasticizers. The response properties of these electrodes, the ultraviolet-visible spectrum of samples, the calibration curve, the concentration range, and the pH effect were studied. The empirical results illustrate that the electrode exhibited a linear range from )1 × ) M with a correlation coefficient 0.983. The proposed electrodes were successfully applied to detect water pollution using Zn ions. The best sensitivity was observed at the pH range of 5–10. The electrodes of Zn ions are effective sensors for detecting heavy metals in water