Novel reagentless paper-based screen-printed electrochemical sensor to detect phosphate

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Phosphate detection is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Existing methods often require reagents and complex equipment.
• There is a need for simple, affordable, and sustainable sensing platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel reagentless paper-based electrochemical sensor for phosphate detection.
• To establish a simple, inexpensive, and sustainable manufacturing approach.
• To adapt a reference colorimetric method to an electrochemical platform.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication involved wax patterning, paper chemical modification, and electrode screen-printing.
• Electrochemical properties were assessed using ferricyanide as a redox mediator.
• A reference colorimetric method for phosphate was adapted for the electrochemical platform.

Main Results:

• The sensor demonstrated no analyte-entrapment due to the cellulose lattice.
• Phosphate ions were determined with high reproducibility and long storage stability.
• A detection limit of 4 μM was achieved over a linear range up to 300 μM.

Conclusions:

• A novel, reagentless, paper-based electrochemical sensor for phosphate has been successfully developed.
• The developed sensor is affordable, user-friendly, and sustainable for in situ analysis.
• This approach can be generalized for developing sensing devices for various analytes.