海角社区 Mechanical Engineering Professor Designs Toxic Chemical Sensor
April 24, 2024
BATON ROUGE, LA 鈥� 海角社区 Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Manas Gartia is leading a team of researchers in designing a novel electrochemical sensor that will detect toxic chemicals in the environment. This sensor will help with environmental research, public health testing, and PFAS containment and alarm system.
鈥淧erfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as 鈥榝orever chemicals,鈥� are toxic chemicals found nearly everywhere on Earth and are a threat to public health,鈥� Gartia said. 鈥淭o address this problem, my team has created a novel electrochemical sensor that is portable, economical, and can rapidly detect PFAS in the environment.鈥�
The sensor is made of a working electrode, counter electrode, and can include a reference electrode. The working electrode is comprised of a metal or metal alloy in the form of nanoparticles, wire, or nanoscale electrocatalysts such as platinum. A perfluorinated anion exchange isomer film is located within the working electrode, which may be screen printed on many surfaces such as ceramic, glass, quartz, polymers, or hydrogel substrates.
鈥淓xperimental results show these sensors do not need redox probes and have a limit of detection (LOD) less than or equal to 7 ppb in buffered or drinking water,鈥� Gartia said.
Benefits of the novel sensor include fast results, LOD lower than tradition methods, not requiring redox-active probes (making the sensor more convenient and transportable), and the nanoscale electrocatalysts sensors have large operating temperature range (-40-300掳C).
Gartia's technology, which has a patent pending, received assistance from 海角社区's Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC). Helping Gartia on the project are his previous postdoc student Sushant Sahu and former 海角社区 Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Chris Arges.
About 海角社区 ITC
海角社区 ITC protects and commercializes 海角社区鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows 海角社区 to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, and other agreements related to intellectual property.
Like us on Facebook (@lsuengineering) or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram (@lsuengineering).鈥�
###
Contact: Libby Haydel
Communications Manager
225-578-4840
ehaydel1@lsu.edu