High-Performance pH Sensor Electrodes Based on a Hexagonal Pt Nanoparticle Array-Coated Nanoporous Alumina Membrane

Abeer S Altowyan; Mohamed Shaban; Asmaa Gamel; Ahmed Gamal; Mona Ali; Mohamed Rabia

doi:10.3390/ma15196515

High-Performance pH Sensor Electrodes Based on a Hexagonal Pt Nanoparticle Array-Coated Nanoporous Alumina Membrane

Materials (Basel). 2022 Sep 20;15(19):6515. doi: 10.3390/ma15196515.

Authors

Abeer S Altowyan¹, Mohamed Shaban^{2

3}, Asmaa Gamel², Ahmed Gamal², Mona Ali², Mohamed Rabia^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
² Nanophotonics and Applications (NPA) Lab, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.
³ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, P.O. Box 170, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Nanomaterials Science Research Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.

Abstract

Porous anodic alumina membranes coated with Pt nanoparticles (PAAM/Pt) have been employed as pH sensor electrodes for H⁺ ion detection. The PAAM was designed using a two-step anodization process. Pt nanoparticles were then sputtered onto the membrane at different deposition times. The membrane's morphological, chemical, and optical characteristics were carefully assessed following the fabrication stage using a variety of analytical techniques. The potential of the PAAM/Pt sensor electrode was investigated by measuring the potential using a simple potentiometric method. The effects of depositing Pt nanoparticles for 3-7 min on sensor electrode sensitivity were examined. The optimal potentiometric Nernstian response slope for the PAAM/Pt sensor electrode with 5 min Pt sputter coating is 56.31 mV/decade in the pH range of 3.0 to 10 at 293 K. Additionally, the PAAM/Pt sensor electrode's stability and selectivity in various ions solutions were examined. The sensor electrode had a lifetime of more than six weeks and was kept in a normal air environment.

Keywords: Nernstian slope; Pt nanoparticles; pH sensor; porous anodic alumina membrane.

Grants and funding

PNURSP2022R16/Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2022R16), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.