Research leads to low-cost electrochemical sensor

Imec (Leuven, Belgium) and Holst Centre researchers have demonstrated a prototype single-chip electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of multiple ions in fluids. The device is a generic platform that can be tailored toward specific applications. It paves the way to small-sized and low-cost detection systems for agriculture and healthcare applications, as well as food quality monitoring and water management. The sensor can be mass-produced through microfabrication or through screen-printing on inexpensive substrates such as glass or foil.

The demonstrated prototype is a handheld device that integrates the sensor with different electrodes that detect pH levels in a range from 2 to 10 at a 0.1 pH accuracy. For fluids with the chemical elements chloride, sodium, potassium, and nitrate – with from 10-4 mol/L to 1 mol/L – the sensor is accurate to within ±10%. Benchmarked against other available single-ion sensors, it showed comparable sensitivity and accuracy. The imec website is www2.imec.be.