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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Clean Sampling and Analysis of River and Estuarine Waters for Trace Metal Studies
Published on: July 1, 2016
"Periodic-table-style" paper device for monitoring heavy metals in water
Miaosi Li1, Rong Cao, Azadeh Nilghaz
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University , Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Abstract:
If a paper-based analytical device (μ-PAD) could be made by printing indicators for detection of heavy metals in chemical symbols of the metals in a style of the periodic table of elements, it could be possible for such μ-PAD to report the presence and the safety level of heavy metal ions in water simultaneously and by text message. This device would be able to provide easy solutions to field-based monitoring of heavy metals in industrial wastewater discharges and in irrigating and drinking water. Text-reporting could promptly inform even nonprofessional users of the water quality. This work presents a proof of concept study of this idea. Cu(II), Ni(II), and Cr(VI) were chosen to demonstrate the feasibility, specificity, and reliability of paper-based text-reporting devices for monitoring heavy metals in water.
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