Methylparaben detection using paper-based electrochemical sensor modified with carbon black and copper nanoparticles

• Grant number: 24/03598-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 30, 2024
• End date: February 27, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivana Cesarino
• Grantee: Jhennifer Aparecida Marques Silva
• Supervisor: Fabiana Arduini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/09262-0 - Development of disposable sensors modified with biochar and copper nanoparticles for analysis of methylparaben in water samples, BP.IC

Abstract

The presence of methylparaben in water can lead to serious contamination problems, affecting the quality of drinking water, with impacts on human health disease, such as premature development of secondary sexual characteristics in children. In a Brazilian context, studies show that several regions of Brazil face significant challenges related to methylparaben contamination in aquifers, highlighting the urgent need to monitor and control these levels. In this sense, advanced analytical methods are essential to detect methylparaben at low concentrations and in an economical way. Among different analytical systems paper-based electrochemical sensors (ePADs), especially those that incorporate nanomaterials, emerge as a promising solution. Paper's unique ability to be processed in a variety of ways, along with its porous and hydrophilic properties, allows for the fabrication of simplicity of use and low-cost devices. Thus, the combination of copper nanoparticles and carbon black in paper sensors offers an affordable, effective, and environmentally friendly solution for methylparaben detection in various environmental applications.