A Sensitive Electrochemical Approach for Monitoring Lead in Fish Liver

Abstract

This study presents the development and optimization of a simple, unmodified screen-printed electrode (SPE) method for the electrochemical detection of lead Pb(II), ions using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Key experimental parameters, including the type and concentration of supporting electrolyte and scan rate, were systematically evaluated to enhance the analytical performance of the sensor. Among the electrolytes tested, 0.1 M potassium chloride (KCl) provided the highest peak current and best-defined redox features, while a scan rate of 75 mV/s offered optimal peak resolution and sensitivity. Analytical figures of merit demonstrated a linear detection range of 0.25–10.0 mM, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.096 mM. The proposed method was successfully applied to fish liver tissue (Mugil cephalus), showing consistent recoveries of 97.16-115.08%. This study presents a simple and cost-effective approach, achieved without the need for nanomaterial enhancements or surface modifications. This study also aims to evaluate the performance of the SPE in detecting Pb(II) in fish liver samples, comparing its sensitivity and accuracy to Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). It demonstrates the viability of using unmodified SPEs for reliable Pb(II) detection in complex matrices, providing a practical alternative for environmental and biological monitoring applications.

Keywords

• Cyclic voltammetry (CV)
• electrochemical sensor
• fish liver tissue
• lead detection
• screen-printed electrode (SPE).

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