Electroanalytical Methods for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of PFAS
Abd Ur Rehman, PhD Candidate
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Clarkson University
Friday, April 25, 2025
9:00 AM
Snell Hall 330 / Peterson Board Room
ABSTRACT
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging environmental pollutants utilized in numerous commercial products and applications, including polymers, fire-retardant foams, cookware, and food packaging. PFAS pose significant threats to the environment and human health due to their high stability, potential toxicity, and persistence in the environment. Conventional analytical techniques, namely chromatographic/mass spectrometry methods (HPLC-MS), require extensive sampling, treatment, and long waiting times. These laboratory-based instruments necessitate multiple steps and incur high operational costs, limiting their portability and the number of samples that can be tested. Emerging methods, such as colorimetric, fluorometric, and electrochemical techniques, are gaining interest for their field-deployable and portability.
The main goal of this thesis is to explore various strategies for detecting PFAS compounds. This involves examining the colorimetric, fluorometric, and electrochemical interactions of nanomaterials, redox dyes, and metal complexes with different types of PFAS. Initially, we studied the interaction of cationic dyes with quaternary ammonium functional groups to investigate their binding with PFAS. Our findings indicate that these dyes selectively and specifically bind to one type of contaminant and demonstrate a good limit of detection.
To enhance sensitivity, we adopted the electro-polymerization method for the deposition of sensing materials on working electrodes. These sensors were evaluated using various electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, to study their interaction with PFAS compounds. The sensors are highly selective, sensitive, and possess a long shelf life. Detecting short-chain and ultra-short-chain compounds remains a challenging task. Nevertheless, we have successfully developed an assay for ultra-short-chain PFAS detection.
The overall outcome of this work will be the development of novel and portable methods for monitoring environmental pollutants.