SGER: Inexpensive Nitrate Nutrient Sensor Arrays

PIS已经申请了一小笔探索性研究拨款(SGER)来开发一种廉价的硝酸盐传感器阵列。该提案要求提供资金，以制造和测试一种用于硝酸盐采样的新换能器，该换能器可以整合到成功的BOA设计中，或者作为自主仪器的一部分工作。PI将使用封装在溶胶-凝胶基质中的硝酸还原酶作为硝酸盐特有的、坚固的光学传感器来检测溶解的营养物质。这种酶用于营养传感已在实验室中得到证实，将这种生物传感器技术与经过验证的BOA设计相结合所需的光电子学将产生一种非常有用的坚固传感器。这种溶胶-凝胶传感器可以在很宽的pH范围内工作，具有nmoL灵敏度，不受盐水干扰，耐浸出，制造成本应该是商业上可用的自动仪器的一小部分。他们将制造一种硝酸盐传感器，作为海洋仪器进行测试。来自该设备的数据将与停泊在一起的商用硝酸盐传感器以及由SiO分析设施处理的硝酸盐含量的水样进行比较。更广泛的影响陆地和海洋野外科学领域都需要低成本、高精度的仪器。为了在几米到几百米的空间尺度上同步采样营养物质、温度、压力或电导率等环境因素，需要数百个传感器，以大多数研究人员目前可用的技术来说，这既昂贵得令人望而却步，又在后勤方面存在困难。传感器的设计和由BOA产生的数据将通过发表在适当的文献中与其他研究人员共享，并将供其他研究团队使用。阵列制造和测试设施将包括加州大学圣迭戈分校的本科生实习生和SIO夏季研究奖学金计划的参与，该计划为来自全国各地的学生提供海洋实践经验。斯托克斯和迪恩还与当地高中教育工作者密切合作，在海洋科学项目中指导年轻学生。

The PIs have requested a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) to develop an inexpensive nitrate sensor array. This proposal requests funds to fabricate and test a new transducer for nitrate sampling that could be incorporated into the successful BOA design or work as part of an autonomous instrument. The PIs will use the enzyme, nitrate reductase, encapsulated within a sol-gel matrix as a nitrate specific and robust optical sensor for dissolved nutrients. The use of this enzyme for nutrient sensing has been proven in the laboratory and the optoelectronics required to couple this biosensor technology to the proven BOA design will produce a robust sensor of great utility. The sol-gel sensor can work in a broad range of pH, has nMol sensitivity, is impervious to saltwater interferents, resists leaching and should be fabricated at a fraction of the cost of commercially available autonomous instruments. They will fabricate a nitrate sensor for testing as an oceanographic instrument. Data from the device will be compared to a commercially available nitrate sensor moored in tandem along with water samples processed for nitrate content by the SIO analytical facility. Broader ImpactsThere is a need for low-cost, precision instruments in both terrestrial and marine field science. In order to synchronously sample environmental factors like nutrients, temperature, pressure, or conductivity on spatial scales of meters to hundreds of meters requires hundreds of sensors which is both prohibitively expensive and logistically difficult with the current technology available to most researchers. The design of the sensors and the data generated by BOA will be shared with other researchers through publication in the appropriate literature and will be available for use by other research teams. The array fabrication and testing facility will include the participation of undergraduate interns from UCSD and the SIO summer research fellowship program that provides hands on experience in oceanography to students from around the country. Stokes and Deane also work closely with local high school educators to mentor young students in marine science projects.