Electrical and optical study on modified Thiacalix(4)arene sensing molecules: Application to Hg ion detection

In this work, p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene with amide moiety (TCA amide) has been used as a receptor material for Hg2+ detection. The TCA amide/gold electrodes were used as Hg2+ sensor. Several conditions were optimised to enhance the sensitivity of the ion sensor, with a detection limit of about 10- 4 M. At lower concentrations, the optical absorption technique was used to study the affinity of TCA amide/Hg2+. The evolution of the optical signal with Hg2+ concentration gives an insight into the TCA amide/Hg2+ interaction and shows the opportunity to use TCA amide molecules for Hg2+ opto chemical sensor.