Limitations of the use of the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance in stripping analysis of lead(II) and cadmium(II) on a quartz crystal platinum electrode with a thin mercury film Original Research Article

An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) with vapour deposited platinum electrodes was used as a support for a 150 nm mercury film. This EQCM was then used as a stripping detector for lead(II) and cadmium(II) in 0.2 M acetate buffer. Lead concentrations down to 1 μg l−1 and cadmium concentrations down to 2 μg l−1 could be measured but with limited precision only due to the composite electrode construction, that is, mercury deposited on platinum. Non-mass frequency changes relating to changes in density and viscosity of the mercury film during the stripping of lead and cadmium were not observed under the above conditions.