Conductive electroactive polymers (CEPs) exhibit a number of useful properties including electrical conductivity and electroactivity. Among the various conjucted polymers, polypyrrole (PPY) is one of the most widely investigated conducting polymers due to its chemical and thermal staibility. In the present research, a potentiometric Cu+2 sensor was prepared on the basis of polypyrrole conducting polymer. Polypyrrole was deposited on a steel spinal needle using cyclic voltammetry and also constant potential technique. 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid (HQS) was doped in the polymer during electropolymerization process which acts as active chelating agent and ionophore for copper recognition. Several factors affecting the sensor performance such as the ratio of HQS/PPY, number of cycles and electrode dimensions has been optimized. The analytical performance of the sensors was studied by potentiometric measurements which showed a near nernstian response. Also the effect of interfering ions has been studied. The sensor was applied for determination of Cu in tap water.

Keywords