Printed Potentiometric Nitrate Sensors for Use in Soil

Carol L. Baumbauer; Payton J. Goodrich; Margaret E. Payne; Tyler Anthony; Claire Beckstoffer; Anju Toor; Whendee Silver; Ana Claudia Arias

doi:10.3390/s22114095

Sensors (May 2022)

Printed Potentiometric Nitrate Sensors for Use in Soil

Carol L. Baumbauer,
Payton J. Goodrich,
Margaret E. Payne,
Tyler Anthony,
Claire Beckstoffer,
Anju Toor,
Whendee Silver,
Ana Claudia Arias

Affiliations

Carol L. Baumbauer: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Payton J. Goodrich: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Margaret E. Payne: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Tyler Anthony: Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Claire Beckstoffer: Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Anju Toor: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Whendee Silver: Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Ana Claudia Arias: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114095
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 22, no. 11
p. 4095

Abstract

Read online

Plant-available nitrogen, often in the form of nitrate, is an essential nutrient for plant growth. However, excessive nitrate in the environment and watershed has harmful impacts on natural ecosystems and consequently human health. A distributed network of nitrate sensors could help to quantify and monitor nitrogen in agriculture and the environment. Here, we have developed fully printed potentiometric nitrate sensors and characterized their sensitivity and selectivity to nitrate. Each sensor comprises an ion-selective electrode and a reference electrode that are functionalized with polymeric membranes. The sensitivity of the printed ion-selective electrodes was characterized by measuring their potential with respect to a commercial silver/silver chloride reference electrode in varying concentrations of nitrate solutions. The sensitivity of the printed reference electrodes to nitrate was minimized with a membrane containing polyvinyl butyral (PVB), sodium chloride, and sodium nitrate. Selectivity studies with sulphate, chloride, phosphate, nitrite, ammonium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium showed that high concentrations of calcium can influence sensor behavior. The printed ion-selective and reference electrodes were combined to form a fully printed sensor with sensitivity of −48.0 ± 3.3 mV/dec between 0.62 and 6200 ppm nitrate in solution and −47 ± 4.1 mV/dec in peat soil.

Published in Sensors

ISSN: 1424-8220 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords