A novel polymeric ion selective electrode for selective determination of europium (III) in real samples

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) based on polymeric membrane with ion carriers have been used in the fields of environmental, medicinal and agricultural analysis. Since the late 1960s, many sensors with high selectivity for specific ions have been applied to measure different environmental samples [1–3]. In this study, a new sensor for europium (III) ion was prepared. Effects of experimental parameters such as membrane composition, amount of plasticizer and amount of additive on the potential response of Eu3+ sensor were investigated. The best operation obtained in the membrane including: 4.0 mg benzo-15-crown-5, 2.0 mg sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB), 64.0 mg nitrobenzene (NB) and 30.0 mg PVC. The sensor exhibited a Nernstian slope of 20.5±0.3 mV/decade in Eu3+ activity. This sensor had a fast static response time of 5s and good reproducibility. It can be used for 32 days without any significant changes in its potential. The proposed electrode was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Eu3+ with EDTA solutions. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for the recovery of Eu3+ ions in real samples.