Reliable sensor that can screen for water contamination

A team of researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has developed sensors that can detect lead, mercury, and E. coli in flowing tap water.

The sensors are made up of a one-nanometer-thick layer of carbon and oxygen atoms, a form of graphene, which is coated on a silicon substrate.

Gold electrodes are then imprinted onto the graphene surface, followed by a nanometer-thick insulating layer of aluminum oxide. Each sensor is tailored to detect one of the three toxins: lead, mercury or E. coli.

The team’s innovation promises to help safeguard public health by providing early warning for contamination.