Nanochannel-Based Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Water

Effective real-time monitoring is the key to understanding and tackling the issue of pharmaceutical contamination of water. This research demonstrates the utility of an alumina nanochannel-based electrochemical sensor platform for the detection of ibuprofen in water derived from various sources. Our results indicate that the sensor is highly sensitive with a limit of detection at 0.25 pg mL⁻¹. The novel sensor described here has potential for application as a simple, rapid, inexpensive and highly reliable method for real-time environmental water quality assessment.