Date of Award

6-13-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara University

First Advisor

Ashley Kim

Abstract

The difficulty of detecting small quantities of arsenic in water currently threatens the health of millions of people worldwide, as long-term exposure to arsenic has been associated with both cancerous and noncancerous health risks. Existing technologies make it possible to very accurately quantify arsenic levels in water; however the expense, extensive training, and off-site analysis required by these methods impede wide scale use. Here, we report on research to develop an affordable and point-of-use microfluidic platform capable of detecting trace amounts of arsenic in groundwater samples. We intend this device to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO's) ASSURED criteria for diagnostic devices in developing regions. Our electrochemical solution utilizes a three-electrode system with carbon, silver, and silver/silver chloride ink electrodes printed onto a disposable plastic substrate. A small water sample is applied to the electrodes and the current response is quickly captured, returning quantitative information to the user. This alleviates the lag times and imprecise colorimetric assays that encumber current arsenic detection systems. In order to perform electrochemical detection we will use cyclic voltammetry (CV) using a CH Instruments 7000 Series B iopotentiostat.

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