Project: Rapid CEC Detection with Advanced Nanosensor Platforms in Water Treatment Monitoring (WP3)
Host institution: UGL
Supervisor(s): William Peveler (PhD promoter)
Objectives: To engineer a suite of multimodal, responsive nanomaterial-based sensors for rapid and sensitive detection of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in water pre- and post-treatment.
DC16 centers on creating a multifunctional nano-platform capable of quick and precise identification of CECs in water systems. This entails designing, synthesizing, and characterizing magnetic core nanomaterials with stimuli-responsive properties that can capture and report on trace levels of CECs through advanced optical spectroscopy techniques. The project will innovate by incorporating CEC-specific binding moieties into the nanosensors and developing novel transduction methods, such as using gold nanoparticle aggregates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and fluorophore displacement strategies for luminescence-based sensing. DC16 will validate this nano-platform’s effectiveness across various real-world samples, ensuring it meets industrial requirements for CEC concentration detection and contributes to improved water treatment processes.
Expected results: Development of a library of magnetically controlled sensor materials for CEC detection at nanomolar concentrations or less.
Planned secondments:
- KU Leuven (Sup.: L. Appels): M12-15 (4 months): Training in microbial dynamics of MBR systems.
- BACO (Sup.: A.M. Samani Majd): M29-32 (4 months): Insights in disinfection methods via photocatalytic methods.
Enrolment in Doctoral degree: University of Glasgow, College of Science and Engineering Doctoral School (GB).
Note: DC16 will be funded by UKRI instead of EU.
