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Nanosensors for water quality monitoring

Nature Nanotechnology volume 13, pages 651–660 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Nanomaterial-enabled sensors are being designed for high-efficiency, multiplex-functionality and high-flexibility sensing applications. Many existing nanosensors have the inherent capacity to achieve such goals; however, they require further development into consumer- and operator-friendly tools with the ability to detect analytes in previously inaccessible locations, as well as at a greater scale than heretofore possible. Here, I discuss how nanotechnology-enabled sensors have great, as yet unmet, promise to provide widespread and potentially low-cost monitoring of chemicals, microbes and other analytes in drinking water.

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Fig. 1: Representative optical, electrical, magnetic and mechanical nanosensor platforms.
Fig. 2: Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled water sensing both within the distribution system and at selected points within premise plumbing.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks his Virginia Tech colleagues L. Marr, M. Edwards and H. Wei for providing useful feedback on the manuscript, and thanks the US National Science Foundation (CBET-1705653, OISE-1545756 and CBET-1133746) and the Virginia Tech ICTAS Exposome Center for financial support. In addition, he thanks the McNeill laboratory at ETH-Zurich for providing a sabbatical home during which this Perspective was produced.

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  1. Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Peter J. Vikesland

  2. Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT), Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Peter J. Vikesland

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Vikesland, P.J. Nanosensors for water quality monitoring. Nature Nanotech 13, 651–660 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0209-9

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