Enhanced stability and sensitivity of ionic liquid-carbon paste electrodes at elevated temperatures

We describe the operation of ionic liquid-carbon paste electrodes at elevated temperatures and the effect of heating on the electrode performance and response. Using cyclic and square wave voltammetry and amperometry, it is shown that signals can be enhanced and stabilized by increasing the temperature of the operating solution. At low temperature, the electrode was susceptible to electrode fouling and showed poor stability, sensitivity, and linearity. An order of magnitude improvement of response for ascorbic acid was possible by operating the electrode at 60 degrees C compared to 0 degrees C. This study represents the first report showing that the analytical response of ionic liquid-carbon paste electrodes can be improved by operating them at elevated temperatures for a number of applications.