LAUSR

This work compares polished and unpolished boron doped diamond (BDD) electrodes decorated with two sizes of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for use as robust mercury sensors in aquatic environments. The size of the catalytically active AuNPs on the electrode surfaces was demonstrated to have a less significant effect on the sensitivity for mercury detection than the surface preparation of the BDD. The lowest limits of detection were achieved with the polished BDD electrodes, which both detected mercury at a concentration of 1 pM, six orders of magnitude greater sensitivity than the lowest detection limit of 5 μM achieved with an unpolished BDD electrode, and high in comparison with other reported electrode systems. Author Comments: We offer a powerful insight into how to make diamond electrodes perform better than previously reported for the detection of mercury, a highly toxic metallic species in the environment and often released, for example, by the activities of the oil and fracking industries Section/Category: Manuscripts from Europe (S. Campuzano Ruiz, J. Pingarrón) Additional Information: