Photoelectrochemical detection of copper ions by modulating the growth of CdS quantum dots.

We discovered that copper ions (Cu2+) catalyze the oxidation of cysteine (CSH) by oxygen (O2) to modulate the growth of CSH-capped cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (NPs). This new chemical process was applied to sensitive fluorogenic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection of Cu2+ ions in real samples of mineral and tap water using the photocatalytic activity of the resulting NPs. Disposable screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs) modified with electroactive polyvinylpyridine bearing osmium complex (Os-PVP) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed for PEC analytical system. CdS NPs formed during the assay photocatalyze oxidation of 1-thioglycerol (TG) upon application of 0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl to SPCEs. Os-PVP complex mediated the electron transfer between the electrode surface and CdS NPs. We proved that our assays did not suffer from interference from other ions accompanying Cu2+ and the sensitivity of our assays covers the European Union standard limit of Cu2+ ions in drinking water.