ELECTROANALYSIS

Electroanalytical techniques represent the most effective answer to the increasing worldwide demand of reliable and rapid determinations of the widest variety of analytes in complex matrices. In this context, both potentiometric and amperometric (or voltammetric) sensors play a major role in a broad spectrum of applications, ranging from environmental and industrial monitoring to biomolecular recognition. Since their first appearance, Ion-Selective Electrodes (ISE’s) have played a significant role in electroanalysis, for the wide variety of determinable ionic and non-ionic species, for their flexibility in operation, and their applicability to the most different fields (e.g. on-line monitoring and control in natural, biological and industrial systems). Their popularity is certainly bound to their easy-to-handle potentiometric response in terms of potential difference of the measuring cell, where the sensor and the constant potential reference electrode, inclusive of the salt bridge, are dipped in the sample solution of known (calibration) or unknown (measure) activity of the analate specie. In recent years, new sensors have been developed, based on chemically modified electrodes (CME) for the voltammetric determination of both electroactive and non-electroactive analates. Their analytical appeal is bound to the rational, chemically designed modification of chemical, electrochemical, optical, electrical, and other desirable properties of the electrode surface by a bonded or coated thin film (from a molecular monolayer to a few micrometers-thick multilayer) of selected chemicals.

The research activities of ECSE members cover both the design and characterization of new ISE and CME sensors, and the development and/or revision of suitable standardisation procedures that guarantee traceability of results as required by the modern metrology. To this end, close international relationships have been established since many years through the activities of the IUPAC Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Divisions, and in particular through the projects of the former Commission on Electroanalytical Chemistry (chaired by Sandra Rondinini) and of the Working Party on pH.

The training will therefore focus on different main themes: standardisation and normalisations aspects (pH and rH), liquid junction evaluation and minimisation, development of new sensors. In the last case, both ISE's and CME's are investigated. Hence, PVC-membrane preparation or assembling of monolayers on gold electrodes (together with subsequent electrode modifications) are among the skills provided by the training programme which includes: preparation, physicochemical and electrochemical characterisation of sensors, data analysis (statistics and modelling), determination of selected properties by means of instrumentation techniques (EIS, X-Ray Fluorescence, ESCA, etc.). The research work is included in a co-operation programme with the Department of Chemistry of The University of Tokyo (Japan).

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