Development of a miniaturized sensor platform for electrochemical and impedance spectroscopic parameters for environmental monitoring applications.

In this research project a sensor platform is to be realized with which electrochemical and impedance spectroscopic parameters can be recorded. Especially for environmental monitoring, electrochemical sensors have proven their efficiency due to their small size, high sensitivity and low cost. For example, electrochemical sensors can be used very well for the detection of drug residues. Drug residues degrade at different rates in the environment. Using Germany as an example, nearly 270 drug substances have now been detected in rivers and lakes, sediments, groundwater and soils. Once in the environment, antibiotics can harm algae and small organisms, for example. This can disrupt the natural food web in water bodies and thus impair the respective ecosystems. If drugs get into the groundwater, this makes it more difficult to obtain drinking water. The sensor platform to be developed should on the one hand consist of a miniature potentiostat that can be connected to a mobile device (e.g. cell phone or tablet) as easily as possible in order to carry out electrochemical measurements on site. Furthermore, the sensor platform should include an impedance spectrometer/impedance tomograph to enable new possibilities for monitoring plant health. Plant health is an important issue in view of possible less favorable living conditions for crops and trees that may be caused via climate change. For this technology, it is also necessary to have a small and compact device that can be easily deployed in the field.