Executive Summary : | Nanomaterial enabled sensors has been designed for wider applications due to their high flexibility, functionality, and efficient sensing abilities. The already designed nanosensors have achieved these efficiencies but further development is prerequisite to meet the consumer and operator friendly requirements. A nanosensor is basically a combination of nanomaterial, a recognition element and more importantly a signal transduction mechanism (Vikesland and Wigginton, 2010). There has been few nanosensors who made their way to the market (e.g., Watersafe, RapidChek) (Vikesland, 2018). But there are certain unmet promises that should be addressed to provide better detection of analytes in water sources. In earlier studies, highly sensitive electrochemical sensors were designed to detect the trace levels of heavy metal ions (Munir et al. 2019). In this project, a dynamic approach to design an electrochemical nanosensor to detect Cr6+ ions in water framework will be developed. The main aim of the project will be to develop electrochemical sensor that have high sensitivity towards Cr6+ ions, low cost, and user friendly. In initial experimental work, we will fabricate Fe3O4 supported graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites which will be further immobilised on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The fabricated nanomaterial will be used to enhance sensitivity towards Cr6+ ions. Cyclic voltammetry, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (SWASV) and Chonocoulometry will be the key techniques to evaluate the performance of designed nano-enabled electrochemical sensor. Furthermore, studies will be conducted to optimize the chemical and electrochemical parameters for investigating the performance of developed nanosensor. In real samples, probability of other metal deposition could be challenging. However, efficacy for selective detection of Cr6+ ions by the sensor will be evaluated in the presence of interfering ions. |