I used the solution f nickel acetate, cobalt acetate, and potassium chloride for electrodeposition. some metal salts were deposited on the Pt electrode. So, how to clean the Pt electrode?
Dear Dr. Jyoti Raghav ,
for reserchers who work with many different materials platinum is a good counter electrode due to its inertness towards most solutions. Platinum electrode can be generally clean by immersion in a 10 % Nitric acid deionized water solution. It works good and clean Pt electrode in few minutes.
If you have to use a more aggressive solution, you can use Piranha solution (3: 1 sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide).
There are also different methods as mechanical polishing, heat pretreatment, and electrochemica lpretreatment.
For more details about these, please see the note:
- Practical Problems in Voltammetry: 4. Preparation of Working Electrodes
By Adrian W. Bott, Ph.D.Bioanalytical Systems, Inc.West Lafayette, IN47906-1382
Available at: http://www.xenosystem.com/newsletter_sy/polishingKIT/preparation%20of%20working%20electrodes.pdf
Best regards, Pierluigi Traverso.
Dear Jyoti Raghav,
if you're talking about the cylindrical PTFE/PEEK/etc. shroud Pt electrode and the electrode has been used for a while or is visibly contaminated I suggest you a mechanical manual cleaning using different grain size alumina.
Example:
1st step alumina 5um (micrometers) on nylon pad: 8 shape cleaning for some minutes. Be careful to let the electrode surface to touch flat onto the pad and not applying inhomogeneous force. Rinse with millipore (deionized water) only!
If you want you can ultrasonicate the electrode dipped (the tip) in millipore clean water for a minute or two.
2nd step alumina 0.3um, same as above but using a tissue pad. Rinse, ultrasonicate.
3rd step alumina 0.05um, same as step 2.
Be aware to observe the surface, it must be mirror polished after the 3rd step. If not, repeat step 3 as many time as needed.
Do not mix the cleaning pads with other non-Pt electrodes.
Always follow the steps. If you start with step 2, always perform step 1 too.
For reference you can see:
https://pineresearch.com/shop/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/DRK10013-Pine-Research-Electrode-Polishing-Guide-REV003.pdf
There is an additional step before alumina 5um using sandpaper, but that is very aggressive and usually exploited for electrode repolishing. It is really time demanding since you have to bring the electrode back to a mirror-polished surface.
You can add additional steps later like electrochemical polishing and in case repeat the mechanical cleaning.
For daily use alumina 0.05um is mandatory. Read the reference for better understanding.
Best regards
The best way is to treat it in some 10% HF (hydrofluric acid). In theory HF is inert to Pt. But sometimes port we are using may not be pure so start with 10% if not clean gradually incrase to 20 or 30%. Depending to the impurity on the Pt surface it may take a few hours to some days.
Carefull about the HF handling.
About etching/dissolving metallic nickel possibly deposited on Pt electrode; cf.: https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_I_remove_Nickel_electrodeposited_into_Si_trench
About etching/dissolving metallic cobalt possibly deposited on Pt electrode; cf.: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Will_e-beam_deposited_cobalt_etch_in_HCl
About etching/dissolving metallic copper possibly deposited on Pt electrode; cf.: https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_to_clean_Pt_counter_elerctrode
About cleaning colloidal gold possibly deposited on Pt electrode; cf.: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_process_to_clean_Pt_wire_and_disc_electrodes_if_used_in_colloidal_gold_solutions
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