Fabrication of Calibration Free Sensors for Heavy Metals

The research will initially focus on materials aspects to design robust all solid state polymeric electrodes that can be used for potentiometric and optical sensing of heavy metal (Hg, Cd), and then move to thin layer hollow fiber electrochemical sensors using same ionophores for coulometric sensing for Mercury (Hg) and Cadmium (Cd). Computational chemistry methods will be used to tune the properties of new materials for the sensing of heavy metals. Finally, potentiometric, optical and coulometric detection methods will be combined for fabrication of internally validated and calibration free coulometric sensors for these toxic metals. This innovative approach will lead to significant enhancement in the capabilities of point source detection of heavy metals and fundamental knowledge of their fate in the environment.