Per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic pollutants, adversely affecting the environment. The strong carbon-fluorine bonds of PFASs make them resistant to physical and metabolic degradation leading to bioaccumulation, which can have detrimental effects on human’s health, wildlife and ecosystem. The conventional analytical techniques for the quantitative determination of PFASs in environmental matrices are HPLC, GC-MS, <i>etc</i>. Despite their high reliability and accuracy, these laboratory based techniques are expensive and can analyze only a limited number of samples, which impedes their broad applicability. To advance the analysis and fast screening of samples, there is a critical need to develop cost effective and user friendly methods for field detection of PFASs, without compromising the sensitivity of the analysis. Nano impact electrochemistry - also called single entity collision electrochemistry (SPCE) - is a highly sensitive chronoamperometric technique that can detect the changes in the electrochemical response of a single entity (molecule, cell, and particle, etc.). To develop a novel detection method the electrochemical behavior of nanoparticles (NPs) before and after the interaction with PFASs was studied through nano-impact electrochemistry. This interaction causes significant changes to the surface chemistry of AgNPs, which alters the collision pattern of the particles at the electrode surface. The sensitivity of the technique helped in achieving an ultra-low limit of detection. The underlying mechanism of PFAS interaction with AgNPs was investigated with the help of various physical and chemical characterization techniques such as SEM, XPS, TGA-MS, and FT-IR. The proposed detection method has a potential application for the selective and sensitive detection of PFASs in groundwater and other agricultural products.

Nano-impact electrochemistry- A powerful tool for ultrasensitive analysis of PFAS

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.