Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis
Published on: May 10, 2020
Flexible Laser-Induced Graphene for Nitrogen Sensing in Soil
Nate T Garland, Eric S McLamore1, Nicholas D Cavallaro1
1Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States.
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) offers a simple method for creating flexible sensors. These sensors effectively detect ammonium and nitrate ions in soil, aiding in soil health management.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Flexible graphene electronics face challenges in fabrication and implementation.
- Laser-induced graphene (LIG) provides a facile, one-step method for creating graphene on flexible substrates.
- Accurate sensing of essential soil nutrients like ammonium and nitrate is crucial for agriculture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate laser-induced graphene (LIG) based electrochemical sensors for plant-available nitrogen.
- To optimize LIG fabrication using a low-cost UV laser for enhanced electrochemical reactivity.
- To create solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs) for selective detection of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) ions in soil.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of LIG on polyimide substrates using a UV laser with varying pulse widths (10-50 ms).
- Optimization of LIG fabrication by identifying the ideal pulse width (20 ms) for maximum electrochemical performance.
- Functionalization of LIG electrodes with specific ionophores (nonactin for NH4+, tridodecylmethylammonium nitrate for NO3-) to create SC-ISEs.
- Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry and testing of sensor performance (sensitivity, detection limit, drift, linear range).
Main Results:
- A 20 ms laser pulse width yielded LIG with 77% sp2 carbon and optimal electrochemical activity.
- The developed LIG SC-ISEs exhibited near-Nernstian sensitivities for NH4+ (51.7 mV/dec) and NO3- (-54.8 mV/dec).
- Sensors demonstrated low detection limits (28.2 μM for NH4+, 20.6 μM for NO3-), minimal drift, and wide linear ranges (10^-5-10^-1 M).
- Successful detection in soil slurry samples with high recovery rates (96% for NH4+, 95% for NO3-).
Conclusions:
- LIG fabricated with an optimized UV laser process offers a promising platform for electrochemical sensing.
- The developed LIG SC-ISEs provide a facile and effective method for in-situ monitoring of NH4+ and NO3- in soil.
- This technology holds potential for advancing soil health management and precision agriculture applications.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Soil Ecosystem
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...

