Detection of total nitrogen contaminants in agricultural water using a poly(m-aminophenol) and silver nanoparticle hybrid sensor
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The nitrogen cycle in the environment is negatively impacts the biosphere through the accumulation of nitrogenous pollutants, including nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium ions, in aquatic systems. There is a real need to adapt/further develop easy and reliable real-time sensing of total nitrogen, as well as to monitor nitrogen in aqueous medium. The aim was to develop a chemiresistive sensor based on a hybrid of poly( meta -aminophenol) (PmAP), with 4-quinonimine functionalized silver nanoparticles for sensitive and selective detection of total nitrogen as nitrogenous contaminants in aqueous media. First, 4-quinonimine functionalized material was synthesized, followed by the successful preparation of a core–shell hybrid with PmAP. The prepared hybrid was confirmed to have a polymer shell measuring 20–40 nm surrounding a functionalized silver core, which has an average diameter of 23 nm and varies between 5 to 50 nm. A two-probe sensor layer was fabricated on a screen-printed carbon electrode for the efficient detection of total nitrogen as nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium ions in aqueous media. The sensor exhibited a selective sensing response toward nitrogen, with a sensitivity of 10 µA mM −1 , a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 mM and a sensor resolution of 0.012 mM within the linearity range of 0.01–2 mM for the nitrogen in terms of those nitrogenous contaminants. The fabricated sensor shows strong applicability for real-time nitrogen monitoring in aqueous media, particularly for agricultural applications and smart agriculture systems. An average 96 ± 4 % accuracy was also verified for nitrogen sensing in agricultural river water samples.
Authors: Leena Priya, Pradip Kar
Institution: Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,870
OpenAlex ID: W7127624724