A Portable Measurement System Based on Nanomembranes for Pollutant Detection in Water

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Growing need for real-time, in situ water quality monitoring.
• Limitations of current methods in terms of cost, portability, and accessibility.
• Demand for robust sensing systems for detecting waterborne pollutants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, develop, and validate a portable, low-cost sensing system for waterborne pollutant detection.
• To integrate a simplified, scalable Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) acquisition architecture.
• To introduce and implement new merit figures for enhanced data analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) with PPF+Ni nanomembrane sensors.
• Employed a voltage divider principle for signal conditioning and passive impedance matching.
• Experimentally characterized the platform for stability, accuracy, and environmental robustness.
• Performed sensitivity tests using benzoquinone and comparative analysis with a commercial system (PalmSens4).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated detection of benzoquinone down to 0.1 mM with a monotonic response.
• Achieved higher resolution and practical advantages compared to a commercial system.
• Showcased reliable concentration discrimination and adaptability for field deployment.
• Validated measurement stability, accuracy, and environmental robustness.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable, low-cost sensing system effectively monitors waterborne pollutants using EIS.
• The system offers superior resolution and adaptability for field-deployable environmental monitoring.
• Future work will focus on sensor material optimization and uncertainty analysis for improved selectivity.