The Influence of the Electrodeposition Conditions on the Electroanalytical Performance of the Bismuth Film Electrode for Lead Determination

The bismuth film is a great promise as a suitable material to replace the mercury electrodes due to its low toxicity and good cathodic potential range. This work studies the influence of the electrodeposition conditions in the morphology and electroanalytical performance of the bismuth film electrodeposited onto copper electrode. The bismuth films were obtained in nitric or hydrochloric acid solutions with and without the presence of sodium citrate. The films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX). The microscopic analysis of the bismuth film obtained in HCl solution with sodium citrate (BIFE-Cit) showed more homogeneous structure with higher content of bismuth than the film obtained in HCl only (BiFE-HCl). The BiFE-Cit exhibited a better analytical performance for lead with good adherence to the copper substrate.