Field deployed sensors are today ubiquitous, continuously gathering data on an ever-increasing scale for a variety of parameters, including temperature, pressure, light and sound. Such sensors have achieved small footprints, are inexpensive, highly sensitive, accurate and can be mass produced on the order of millions of units annually allowing them to be integrated into everyday items such as phones, thermostats, computers, home appliances and vehicles. There are, however, limited chemical or biological sensors that fulfill similar criteria, particularly for trace level contaminant detection. There is a definitive need for low-cost, highly sensitive, non-reagent based, continuous monitoring chem-bio sensors that can provide an even greater dimension to the vast amount of information currently being gathered about the world around us. Analytical sensors are required for a growing global industry that is seeking to inform consumers of water and air purification products that their drinking water and the air that they breathe are virtually free of harmful contaminants. Sensor technologies to detect and quantify trace level contaminants in drinking water will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on heavy metals (lead and arsenic), PFAS, and microbes (legionella and coliform). The technological, social, and business hurdles that impede the realization and adoption of such sensors for broad consumer applications and use will also be explored.

Real-time chemical and biological sensors for consumer products

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.