Robust, Ion-Selective Thick-Film Sensors for Long Term Field Deployment

陆地水道和水系的所有水源都是雨水，而雨水又主要是由于海洋的蒸发而产生的。因此，陆地水体中存在的最丰富的电活性物质是氯离子也就不足为奇了，尽管氯离子的浓度随着离海的距离而变化。因此，氯化物传感器将成为水文学的宝贵工具，因为它提供了一种直接而简单的方法来跟踪和绘制水流在地形中的流动。此外，氯化物传感器（网络）的选择性和考虑的空间分布将使不同土壤类型的氯化物保持能力的定量测量成为可能，因此是土壤科学家的有用工具。此外，氯化物传感器给出了土壤盐度的定性测量；这是农业管理的一个特别重要的指标。此外，在植物一级，小型化的氯化物传感器阵列将促进对根际氯化物通量的实时研究，从而实现新的生物科学。环境中存在的其他主要物种包括硝酸盐，根据其位置和浓度，它可以被视为有益的，也可以被视为污染物。目前，在野外实时可靠地测量硝酸盐是不可能的。硝酸盐传感器在农业、土壤学和植物学等领域具有明显的应用价值。同样，在根部水平，它可以实时测量植物进出的养分通量。我们将使用厚膜丝网印刷技术生产一组传感器，通过集成参考电极测量氯离子和硝酸盐离子。

The source of all water in land based water courses and water systems is rain, which in turn predominantly arises due to evaporation from seas and oceans. It is therefore not surprising that the most abundant electroactive species present in land based water bodies is the chloride ion although the concentration of chloride varies with the distance from the sea. A chloride sensor would therefore be an invaluable tool for hydrology since it offers a direct and simple method to track and map the flow of water as it moves through the terrain. Moreover selective and considered spatial distribution of chloride sensors (networks) will enable quantitative measures of the chloride retention capacity of different soil types and is therefore a useful tool for soil scientists. Furthermore, a chloride sensor gives a qualitative measure of soil salinity; a particularly important indicator for agricultural management. In addition, at the plant level a miniaturised array of chloride sensors would facilitate real-time studies of chloride fluxes in the root rhizosphere enabling new bioscience to be achieved. Other major species present in the environment include nitrate, which can be viewed as beneficial or as a contaminant depending on its location and concentration. Currently it is not possible to measure nitrate reliably in the field in real-time. A nitrate sensor has obvious benefits in the fields of agriculture, soil science and plant science. Again, at the root level it allows real-time measurements of nutrient fluxes to and from the plant.We shall use thick-film screen printing technology to produce an array of sensors that measure chloride ions and nitrate ions with respect to an integrated reference electrode.