Determination of silver ions based on the electrogenerated chemiluminescence of silver ions/peroxydisulfate

In this work, a simple, sensitive, and selective method for the determination of silver ions (Ag+) was proposed on the basis of the enhancement of Ag+ on the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of peroxydisulfate (S2O82−), which can be attributed to the obvious electrocatalytic reduction of S2O82− by Ag+, giving rise to more abundant sulfate radical anion (SO4•−). Under optimal conditions, a linear range from 4 to 500 nM (R = 0.997) with a detection limit of 2.5 nM (S/N = 3) was achieved for the detection of Ag+. The Ag+/S2O82− ECL system could not only provide an assay protocol for the determination of Ag+ but also offer an effective way to enhance the ECL of S2O82−, which may act as a promising platform for the detection of other species such as 4-chlorophenol.