EAGER: A Novel Carbon Nanotube Based Phosphate Sensor Using Potentiometric Principles for Oceanographic Use

University Of South Carolina At Columbia, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

The PI's request EAGER funding to build a phosphate sensor for aquatic systems. Phosphate and Nitrate are essential macronutrients limiting primary productivity in most aquatic ecosystems. The availability of phosphate, a main component of the marine biological carbon pump strongly influences the ability to capture and store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Development of a phosphate sensor with high precision, long lifetime, low detection limit, and good reproducibility would improve estuarine and coastal water quality monitoring and further understanding of marine nutrient cycling. If successful, these phosphate sensors could have far reaching impact for a range of other applications. The PI's envision an array of low cost, low power sensors fitting onto the sensor surface the size of a quarter. The PI's propose to build and characterize a carbon nanotube based potentiometric phosphate sensor. This prototype sensor will allow the PI's to test the sensors response, its sensitivity and lower selection limit and long-term performance in the lab and field testing at the dock. With other funding the PI’s have been developing a potentiometric Chloride sensor. They plan to follow a similar strategy for developing the proposed potentiometric phosphate sensor. The goal is to be able to produce a small, low cost, accurate, in situ phosphate sensor to provide the needed data on spatial and temporal scales necessary to answer questions not possible with current technologies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.