Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring with Chemical Sensors

Abstract

Water quality is one of the most critical indicators of environmental pollution and it affects all of us. Water contamination can be accidental or intentional and the consequences are drastic unless the appropriate measures are adopted on the spot. This review provides a critical assessment of the applicability of various technologies for real-time water quality monitoring, focusing on those that have been reportedly tested in real-life scenarios. Specifically, the performance of sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers is evaluated in detail, also giving insights into their principle of operation, stability in real on-site applications and mass production options. Such characteristics as sensing range and limit of detection are given for the most promising systems, that were verified outside of laboratory conditions. Then, novel trends of using microwave spectroscopy and chemical materials integration for achieving a higher sensitivity to and selectivity of pollutants in water are described.

MIPs for commercial application in low-cost sensors and assays – An overview of the current status quo

“…Conductance measurements are relatively straightforward to perform and require little instrumentation, making the technology interesting from a commercial point-of-view. However, to date only a limit number have of MIP-based conductometric sensors have been developed [ [78] , [79] , [80] ]. Exploiting the change in ionic concentration of solid-liquid interfaces is usually done by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).…”

“…Two wires were coated with MIP particles, two with NIP particles and integrated into one catheter (middle), allowing for the impedimetric detection of histamine in intestinal fluid (right). Figure reproduced from [ 79 ] with permission. Copyright Elsevier 2020.…”

Connected Sensors, Innovative Sensor Deployment, and Intelligent Data Analysis for Online Water Quality Monitoring

“…Recently molecule-based sensors have also received attention for the fabrication of electrochemical and biosensors [83]. The miniaturized sensors with fast response have been realized using materials with nano or molecular structures [83]. The cost (of both material and fabrication), life-time, flexibility are other factors which also need to consider in the SE design.…”

Recent Advances in Chemical Sensors Using Porphyrin-Carbon Nanostructure Hybrid Materials

“…Chemical sensors research and development have been engaged for so long in fabricating simple and reliable devices able to perform rapid and on-site detection of chemical species in order to readily face potential emergency scenarios dealing with safety, environment and health applications, where speed of response can make a real difference [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Given the extreme variability in nature as well as critical amount of target analytes, ongoing efforts are focused to improve both sensing materials and transducers performances, along with chemometric techniques that are fundamental for data sets with many variables, i.e., complex/real matrices.…”