Development of electrochemical sensors based on silver nanoparticles electrodeposited on gold screen-printed electrodes: application to nitrate trace analysis in water

A simple, reusable and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on a gold screen-printed electrode modified with silver nanoparticles has been developed for the detection of nitrate in water. Scanning electron microscopy, square wave voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the modification of the electrode surface. The modified electrode with different silver nanoparticle loadings was also tested, as well as the influence of scan rate on the reduction of nitrate. The sensor exhibited a wide linear response to nitrate from 100 to 1500 µM and a detection limit of 7.7 µM, which is significantly less than the maximum contaminant level admitted in drinking water (800 µM). The reproducibility, repeatability and selectivity of the sensor have also been examined. The suitability of the proposed sensor for real sample detection was successfully demonstrated via recovery studies performed in spiked tap water samples. The proposed approach was used to determine nitrate in freshwater, and the results were in good agreement with those obtained from a commercial nitrate sensor. These advantages make the developed sensor a promising alternative approach for integration into an online monitoring system for water monitoring.