POTSDAM, N.Y. — Two Clarkson University professors will use a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their research to develop low-cost sensors to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the field. PFAS are an emerging group of environmental contaminants used in many commercial products and applications that have recently been identified […]
POTSDAM, N.Y. — Two Clarkson University professors will use a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their research to develop low-cost sensors to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the field.
PFAS are an emerging group of environmental contaminants used in many commercial products and applications that have recently been identified as posing significant threats to the environment and human health, according to the researchers. Large-scale analysis of these compounds is currently not possible due to a lack of field-deployable techniques.
The funding recipients are Silvana Andreescu — a Clarkson University professor and Egon Matijevic endowed chair of chemistry & biomolecular science — and Michelle Crimi, professor of civil engineering and Clarkson’s graduate school dean.
The work on this project includes a team of sensing and analytical chemists and PFAS experts at Clarkson. They’re developing “easy-to-use, affordable” sensors that can measure the broad spectrum of PFAS in the field.
The technology uses programmable receptors engineered to specifically recognize and detect PFAS by low-cost spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques.
The core of the technology is a nanomaterial interface that reacts with PFAS, generating concentration-dependent changes in the physicochemical properties of these materials. The research team will develop protocols and a manufacturing process to create portable sensors based on these materials and establish performance for quantitative detection of PFAS.
The team will work with Clarkson’s Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Sciences (CAARES) for PFAS analysis to validate the novel sensing technology. Working with industry partners, the research team will then establish the performance, testing, and manufacturing of the technology as a portable device for field analysis, according to Clarkson.
Clarkson’s Shipley Center for Innovation is also part of the project, helping team members in their entrepreneurial endeavors and providing support and services for broad industry and community adoption.
“We are very excited about this project to apply our knowledge and develop technology that can help detect PFAS and provide the measurement tools necessary to better understand their overall distribution, concentration and release in the environment,” Andreescu said. “This will add sensors and in situ measurements tools to Clarkson’s expertise in PFAS.”
Andreescu says that due to the increased benefit in cost reduction and scalability, the technology will provide opportunities and affordability for industry and broader adoption by non-expert users, “providing social and economic benefits” in the industrial, health and environmental sectors. Additionally, it will advance the education and training of Clarkson students who will be trained to tackle the challenges of detecting PFAS and assessing contamination.
The availability and commercialization of new “easy-to-use, affordable” sensors has the potential to identify exposures more effectively to emerging PFAS contaminants and could translate into improved monitoring and reduced environmental pollution and human health impact, Andreescu added.