A novel copper selective sensor based on ion imprinted 2-vinylpyridine polymer

A novel potentiometric Cu2+-selective microsensor has been developed that is based upon ion imprinted 2-vinylpyridine polymer. The polymer was synthesized using Cu(II) ions, 2-vinylpyridine, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a template, functional monomer, and cross-linker, respectively. The resultant polymer was used as ionophore to obtain a selective potentiometric response towards Cu(II) ions in the structure of the PVC membrane. The detection limit of the microsensor was determined to be 8.4 x 10(-7) mol/L, and its response time was considerably short (less than 15 s). The prepared microsensor exhibited a near-Nernstian response for Cu(II) ions over the concentration range of 10(-1) to 10(-6) mol/L, with a slope of 28.5 mV per decade over 2 months, and without any considerable divergence in potentials. The microsensor was effectively performed in a pH range between 4.0 and 7.0 and used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Cu(II) ions with EDTA. The proposed microsensor has been successfully demonstrated for the determination of copper in a number of environmental water samples. The obtained potentiometric results were in good harmony with the results obtained by the AAS method.