Hyaluronic Acid Methacrylate Hydrogel-Modified Electrochemical Device for Adsorptive Removal of Lead(II)
Nan Wang,
Meghali Bora,
Song Hao,
Kai Tao,
Jin Wu,
Liangxing Hu,
Jianjun Liao,
Shiwei Lin,
Michael S. Triantafyllou,
Xiaogan Li
Affiliations
Nan Wang
School of Microelectronics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Meghali Bora
Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Song Hao
School of Optoelectronic Engineering and Instrumentation Science, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Kai Tao
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Jin Wu
State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies and the Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Liangxing Hu
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Jianjun Liao
Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Shiwei Lin
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Michael S. Triantafyllou
Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Xiaogan Li
School of Microelectronics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
This paper presents the development of a compact, three-electrode electrochemical device functionalized by a biocompatible layer of hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) hydrogel for the adsorptive removal of detrimental lead (Pb(II)) ions in aqueous solutions. An adsorption mechanism pertaining to the observed analytical performance of the device is proposed and further experimentally corroborated. It is demonstrated that both the molecular interactions originating from the HAMA hydrogel and electrochemical accumulation originating from the electrode beneath contribute to the adsorption capability of the device. Infrared spectral analysis reveals that the molecular interaction is mainly induced by the amide functional group of the HAMA hydrogel, which is capable of forming the Pb(II)–amide complex. In addition, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) analysis indicates that the electrochemical accumulation is particularly valuable in facilitating the adsorption rate of the device by maintaining a high ion-concentration gradient between the solution and the hydrogel layer. ICP-MS measurements show that 94.08% of Pb(II) ions present in the test solution can be adsorbed by the device within 30 min. The HAMA hydrogel-modified electrochemical devices exhibit reproducible performance in the aspect of Pb(II) removal from tap water, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.28% (for n = 8). The experimental results suggest that the HAMA hydrogel-modified electrochemical device can potentially be used for the rapid, on-field remediation of Pb(II) contamination.
