Graphene based pH microsensor networks for Blue Carbon monitoring

大气中的二氧化碳导致海洋酸度上升，导致浅表水中溶解无机碳（DIC）。 DIC可以被认为是小分子中与氧结合的溶解碳（即溶解的CO2、碳酸氢盐和碳酸盐）。 DIC 与大气中的二氧化碳和所谓的“蓝碳”保持平衡，“蓝碳”是海洋中的碳，以碳链的形式与沿海和海洋生态系统中的植物和动物（即有机碳）结合在一起。对于这个项目很重要，pH 值是可以在河流和海洋中连续测量的少数关键参数之一，以观察 DIC 并帮助我们控制和监测碳排放的影响和效果。我们的目标是通过制造足够“坚固”和“灵敏”的低成本石墨烯材料，直接解决目前缺乏能够承受河流和海洋恶劣条件的 pH 传感器的问题，使其成为未来的主流环境传感器网络。该提案采用问题驱动的多学科方法来开发一种具有成本效益的解决方案来监测 DIC 以及释放到河流和沿海水域的碳的影响。我们的跨学科团队打算通过针对这一重大社会挑战的重点石墨烯传感器开发来推进用于 pH 测量的传感器，并准备好与领先的行业主导技术相结合。

The rising acidity in the oceans from CO2 in the atmosphere contributes to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the shallow surface waters. DIC can be considered as the dissolved carbon bound to oxygen in small molecules (i.e. dissolved CO2, bicarbonate and carbonate). DIC is in balance with both the atmospheric CO2 and what is termed 'Blue Carbon', which is carbon in the ocean bound up as carbon chains, plants and animals (i.e. organic carbon) in coastal and marine ecosystems. Important to this project, pH is one of the few critical parameters that can be measured continuously in rivers and oceans to observe DIC and help us control and monitor the impact and effect of our carbon emissions. Our aim is to directly address the current lack of pH sensors available that can withstand the harsh conditions of rivers and oceans by making low cost graphene materials that are sufficiently 'robust' and 'sensitive' to become the mainstream environmental sensor networks of the future. The proposal takes a problem-driven, multidisciplinary approach to develop a cost-effective solution to monitoring DIC and the impacts of carbon released into rivers and coastal waters. Our interdisciplinary team intend to advance sensors for pH measurement via focused graphene sensor development aligned with this major societal challenge, with readiness to be interfaced with leading industry-led technology.