Construction of a highly selective PVC-based membrane sensor for Ce(III) ions

A highly Ce(III) ion-selective poly vinyl chloride (PVC) membrane sensor based on N′-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylidene]-2-furohydrazide (NHMF) as an excellent sensing material is successfully developed. The electrode shows a good selectivity for Ce(III) ions with respect to most common cations including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The proposed sensor exhibits a wide linear response with a slope of 19.4 ± 0.3 mV/decade over the concentration range of 1.0 × 10−5 to 1.0 × 10−1 M, and a detection limit of 7.6 × 10−6 M of Ce(III) ions. The sensor response is independent of pH in the range of 3.5–10.0. The proposed electrode was applied as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Ce(III) ions with EDTA and C2O42. It was also successfully applied in the determination of cerium ions in aqueous samples.