Copyright © 2016 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters Vol. 8, 1–9, 2016 Facile Synthesis of Polypyrrole-Zirconium(IV) Oxide-Ethanolamine Anion Exchange Nanocomposite and Its Utilization in Membrane Electrode Development for Sensing and Quantitative Detection of As(III) in Water Umair Baig and M. A. Gondal ∗ Center of Excellence for Scientific Research Collaboration with MIT, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Laser Research Group, Physics Department and Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia A new electrically conductive polypyrrole-zirconium oxide-ethanolamine (PPy-ZrO-EA) anion exchange nanocomposite was synthesized by polymerizing pyrrole in presence of zirconium oxide- ethanolamine (ZrO-EA) via a facile oxidative chemical polymerization approach. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimet- ric analysis (DTG) data revealed the formation and structure of PPy-ZrO-EA. Strong interactions between PPy and ZrO-EA particles was observed. A better thermal stability was exhibited by the nanocomposite as compared to PPy. The material was highly efficient for electroanalytical applica- tions as ionic sensor. It was developed into a membrane electrode for detecting As(III) in aqueous solutions. The best results were obtained for the membrane electrode with linear potential response in 10 × 10 -1 - 10 × 10 -8 M As(III) concentration range with 29.71 mV/decade (R 2 = 0.9999) slope. The electrode’s useful pH was found in 5.0–10.0 range. The values of selectivity coefficients indi- cated significant selectivity for As(III) ions with respect to interfering anions. Drinking water samples added with As(III) salts of known concentrations were used to determine the accuracy of mem- brane electrode. The results obtained were equivalent to those achieved with a standard portable coulometric arsenic analyzer. Keywords: Polypyrrole-Zirconium Oxide-Ethanolamine, Nanocomposite, Chemical Oxidative Polymerization, Sensor. 1. INTRODUCTION Arsenic and several arsenic-based find profound appli- cations in industrial processes including mining, smelt- ing and coal fired power plants. All these processes lead to arsenic contamination of air, water and soil. 1 Eco- logical pollution also occurs by the uses of agricul- tural chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and for timber conservation. 2 As(III) or As(V) are the pre- dominant arsenic species detected in aqueous environ- ments. As(III) shows comparatively higher toxicity and carcinogenic effects than As(V). 1 Thus, the presence of As(III) in the ecosystem is a high risk to aquatic life and human health. 3 4 As per the standards, the maximum permissible limit of arsenic for discharge to portable water ∗ Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. is 0.01 mg L -1 and for tailing in mines it may be up to 200 mg/L. 5 A moderately higher arsenic concentration in aquatic systems has numerous effects on plants and animals. 6 Arsenic has been identified as a carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Long period consumption of arsenic polluted water has causes skin, lung, urinary bladder and kidney cancers. 2 On account of the hazardous impacts of As(III) on living organisms, its identification and determination in environmental speci- mens is of utmost importance. There are various instrumental and chemical sensing techniques available for investigating the trace amounts of As(III) in waste water and water reserves. 7–13 Unfor- tunately, most of the available techniques have several disadvantages related to cost, suitability for repetitive analyses of large sample numbers and non-applicability Nanosci. Nanotechnol. Lett. 2016, Vol. 8, No. xx 1941-4900/2016/8/001/009 doi:10.1166/nnl.2016.2187 1