Low-cost electrochemical sensors derived from food waste for sensitive in-situ detection of water contaminants

该项目将开发一个超快生物传感器平台，通过结合模式识别算法，原位检测水中的多种污染物(例如，MIB、Geosmin、PFAS、氨、硝酸盐、磷酸盐)。对于自来水公司来说，对这些污染物的典型分析需要将水样运送到实验室，而且也是昂贵和劳动密集型的。从采样到分析结果的快速周转时间是怀疑供水受到污染的另一个未解决的挑战。低成本的碳传感器电极具有增强的电子转移和表面积特性，将从食物垃圾中提取，并使用专利柔版印刷制造。当它们与水中的各种污染物相互作用时，它们将产生特征的电化学信号，这些污染物不同于那些由非特定吸附引起的污染物。这将为实现无标签、直接和易于使用的现场监测设备迈出重要的一步。

This project will develop an ultrafast biosensor platform for in-situ detection of multiple contaminants (e.g., MIB, geosmin, PFAS, ammonia, nitrate, phosphate) in water by incorporating pattern recognition algorithms. For water utility companies, typical analyses of these contaminants require the transportation of water samples to a lab and is also expensive and labour intensive. Quick turnaround time from sampling to analytical result is a further unmet challenge where contamination of water supplies is suspected. Low-cost carbon sensor electrodes with properties of enhanced electron transfer and surface area will be derived from food wastes and fabricated using patented flexographic printing. They will generate characteristic electrochemical signals upon interaction with various contaminants in water that are distinct from those caused by non-specific adsorption. This will provide an essential step towards label free, direct, and easy-to-use in situ monitoring devices.