Determination of copper in aqueous solution using Poly(thionine) supported gold nanoparticles

Copper (Cu), an essential element for the human body, is a heavy metal that exhibits toxic properties in excessive amounts. Therefore, copper determination is of significant importance, especially from a health perspective. Currently, copper determination is routinely performed using the ICP-MS method. However, this method is time-consuming and expensive. Hence, there is a growing interest in developing practical, cost-effective, and reliable methods for copper determination. Among these methods, electrochemical approaches stand out due to their rapid, simple, relatively inexpensive, selective, and pre-treatment-free nature, attributed to the electroactive nature of copper. Within the scope of the proposed thesis, the goal is to develop a method for electrochemical copper determination in aqueous solutions based on the use of a modified electrode with a conductive polymer and metal nanoparticles. For this purpose, it is planned to use polythiophene as a conductive polymer that can be electrochemically polymerized in aqueous solutions, and this polymer will be augmented with gold (Au) nanoparticles. The thesis aims to optimize the experimental conditions for preparing the Au/PTH modified electrode and characterize the Au nanoparticles supported by PTH under optimum conditions using electrochemical and physical methods. In the final part of the study, the effectiveness of the prepared modified electrode system for copper determination will be investigated, and a calibration curve will be established. Keywords: Polythiophene, Au Nanoparticle, Copper Determination, Electrochemical Analysis