Heavy metal ion sensing in water via transition metal dichalcogenide functionalized oxide high electron mobility transistor

Abstract

Heavy metals like mercury (Hg²⁺), lead (Pb²⁺), arsenic (As³⁺), cadmium (Cd²⁺), and chromium (Cr³⁺) are pervasive in the environment, exposing humans to risks from these elements. Such exposure can lead to severe health problems, including neurological and respiratory issues, kidney disease, anemia, and various cancers. Diseases like minamata disease, arsenicosis, itai-itai, and lead poisoning are linked to these metals, affecting vital systems such as the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and skeletal systems. Monitoring heavy metal levels in water pollution is essential, as it threatens ecological and human health across India. Traditional detection methods, such as GFAAS, ICP-OES, and ICP-MS, have limitations in portability and response time. Few recent approaches such as fluorescent, colorimetric, and electrochemical sensors have shown promise results but still face challenges like lack of portability, high cost, portable, and lack of user-friendly platform for rapid, real-time heavy metal analysis. Addressing these limitations is crucial for the widespread accessible use of heavy metal ion detectors. Electrochemical sensors are a viable solution for these issues, however one of the key elements for this solution is the sensing material, which affects the efficiency of detecting the targeted analyte and the performance of the electrochemical sensor based heavy metal ion detectors.