EAGER: A Novel Carbon Nanotube Based Phosphate Sensor Using Potentiometric Principles for Oceanographic Use

PI的请求迫切需要资金，为水上系统建造一个磷酸盐传感器。磷酸盐和硝酸盐是限制大多数水生生态系统初级生产力的基本常量营养素。磷酸盐是海洋生物碳泵的主要成分，其有效性对捕获和储存温室气体二氧化碳的能力有很大影响。开发一种高精度、长寿命、低检测限、重复性好的磷酸盐传感器将改善河口和沿海水质监测，加深对海洋营养物质循环的了解。如果成功，这些磷酸盐传感器可能会对其他一系列应用产生深远的影响。PI设想了一组低成本、低功耗的传感器阵列，可以安装在四分之一大小的传感器表面上。PI建议建立并表征基于碳纳米管的电位磷酸盐传感器。该原型传感器将允许PI测试传感器的响应、其灵敏度和选择下限以及在实验室和码头现场测试的长期性能。在其他资金的支持下，PI一直在开发一种电位式氯化物传感器。他们计划遵循类似的策略来开发拟议的电位型磷酸盐传感器。其目标是能够生产一种小型、低成本、准确的现场磷酸盐传感器，以在空间和时间尺度上提供必要的数据，以回答使用当前技术无法解决的问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The PI's request EAGER funding to build a phosphate sensor for aquatic systems. Phosphate and Nitrate are essential macronutrients limiting primary productivity in most aquatic ecosystems. The availability of phosphate, a main component of the marine biological carbon pump strongly influences the ability to capture and store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Development of a phosphate sensor with high precision, long lifetime, low detection limit, and good reproducibility would improve estuarine and coastal water quality monitoring and further understanding of marine nutrient cycling. If successful, these phosphate sensors could have far reaching impact for a range of other applications. The PI's envision an array of low cost, low power sensors fitting onto the sensor surface the size of a quarter.The PI's propose to build and characterize a carbon nanotube based potentiometric phosphate sensor. This prototype sensor will allow the PI's to test the sensors response, its sensitivity and lower selection limit and long-term performance in the lab and field testing at the dock. With other funding the PI’s have been developing a potentiometric Chloride sensor. They plan to follow a similar strategy for developing the proposed potentiometric phosphate sensor. The goal is to be able to produce a small, low cost, accurate, in situ phosphate sensor to provide the needed data on spatial and temporal scales necessary to answer questions not possible with current technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.