In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes
Small-holding farmers in the developing world suffer from sub-optimal crop yields because they lack a soil diagnostic system that is affordable, usable, and actionable. This paper details the fabrication and characterization of an integrated point-of-use soil-testing system, comprised of disposable...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Public Library of Science
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119381 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-6924 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5528-1821 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1153-8880 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0588-9286 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7372-3512 |
| _version_ | 1811087987115556864 |
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| author | Rosenberg, Ron Bono Jr, Michael S Braganza, Soumya Vaishnav, Chintan H. Karnik, Rohit Hart, Anastasios John |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Rosenberg, Ron Bono Jr, Michael S Braganza, Soumya Vaishnav, Chintan H. Karnik, Rohit Hart, Anastasios John |
| author_sort | Rosenberg, Ron |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Small-holding farmers in the developing world suffer from sub-optimal crop yields because they lack a soil diagnostic system that is affordable, usable, and actionable. This paper details the fabrication and characterization of an integrated point-of-use soil-testing system, comprised of disposable ion-selective electrode strips and a handheld electrochemical reader. Together, the strips and reader transduce soil ion concentrations into to an alphanumeric output that can be communicated via text message to a central service provider offering immediate, customized fertilizer advisory. The solid-state ion-selective electrode (SSISE) strips employ a two-electrode design with screen-printable carbon nanotube ink serving as the electrical contacts for the working and reference electrodes. The working electrode comprises a plasticizer-free butyl acrylate ion-selective membrane (ISM), doped with an ion-selective ionophore and lipophilic salt. Meanwhile, the reference electrode includes a screen-printed silver-silver chloride ink and a polyvinyl-butyral membrane, which is doped with sodium chloride for stable reference potentials. As a proof of concept, potassium-selective electrodes are studied, given potassium's essential role in plant growth and reproduction. The ISE-based system is reproducibly manufactured to yield a Nernstian response with a sub-micromolar detection limit (pK+ of 5.18 ± 0.08) and near-Nernstian sensitivity (61 mV/decade) in the presence of a 0.02 M strontium chloride extraction solution. Analysis of soil samples using the printed electrodes and reader yielded a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.89 with respect to values measured via inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The reliable performance of this system is encouraging toward its deployment for soil nutrient management in resource-limited environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:54:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/119381 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:54:55Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1193812022-09-28T17:03:39Z In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes Rosenberg, Ron Bono Jr, Michael S Braganza, Soumya Vaishnav, Chintan H. Karnik, Rohit Hart, Anastasios John Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Data, Systems, and Society Sloan School of Management Rosenberg, Ron Bono Jr, Michael S Braganza, Soumya Vaishnav, Chintan H. Karnik, Rohit Hart, Anastasios John Small-holding farmers in the developing world suffer from sub-optimal crop yields because they lack a soil diagnostic system that is affordable, usable, and actionable. This paper details the fabrication and characterization of an integrated point-of-use soil-testing system, comprised of disposable ion-selective electrode strips and a handheld electrochemical reader. Together, the strips and reader transduce soil ion concentrations into to an alphanumeric output that can be communicated via text message to a central service provider offering immediate, customized fertilizer advisory. The solid-state ion-selective electrode (SSISE) strips employ a two-electrode design with screen-printable carbon nanotube ink serving as the electrical contacts for the working and reference electrodes. The working electrode comprises a plasticizer-free butyl acrylate ion-selective membrane (ISM), doped with an ion-selective ionophore and lipophilic salt. Meanwhile, the reference electrode includes a screen-printed silver-silver chloride ink and a polyvinyl-butyral membrane, which is doped with sodium chloride for stable reference potentials. As a proof of concept, potassium-selective electrodes are studied, given potassium's essential role in plant growth and reproduction. The ISE-based system is reproducibly manufactured to yield a Nernstian response with a sub-micromolar detection limit (pK+ of 5.18 ± 0.08) and near-Nernstian sensitivity (61 mV/decade) in the presence of a 0.02 M strontium chloride extraction solution. Analysis of soil samples using the printed electrodes and reader yielded a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.89 with respect to values measured via inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The reliable performance of this system is encouraging toward its deployment for soil nutrient management in resource-limited environments. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tata Center for Technology and Design National Science Foundation (U.S.) (award number DMR-1419807) 2018-12-03T15:24:15Z 2018-12-03T15:24:15Z 2018-09 2017-09 2018-11-29T18:51:00Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1932-6203 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119381 Rosenberg, Ron, Michael S. Bono, Soumya Braganza, Chintan Vaishnav, Rohit Karnik, and A. John Hart. “In-Field Determination of Soil Ion Content Using a Handheld Device and Screen-Printed Solid-State Ion-Selective Electrodes.” Edited by Virgilio Mattoli. PLOS ONE 13, no. 9 (September 25, 2018): e0203862. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-6924 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5528-1821 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1153-8880 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0588-9286 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7372-3512 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203862 PLOS ONE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ application/pdf Public Library of Science PLoS |
| spellingShingle | Rosenberg, Ron Bono Jr, Michael S Braganza, Soumya Vaishnav, Chintan H. Karnik, Rohit Hart, Anastasios John In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title | In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title_full | In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title_fullStr | In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title_full_unstemmed | In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title_short | In-field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen-printed solid-state ion-selective electrodes |
| title_sort | in field determination of soil ion content using a handheld device and screen printed solid state ion selective electrodes |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119381 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-6924 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5528-1821 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1153-8880 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0588-9286 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7372-3512 |
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