Abstract
Microfabricated Portable Sensors for In-Field Detection of PFAS
The presence of contaminants of emerging concerns such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine disrupting compounds and per/poly-fluorinated substances (PFAS) poses significant challenges to the environment and human health. PFAS in particular are used in many commercial products and applications such as polymers, fire-retarding foams, cookware and food packaging, and their wide use pose significant risks due to their high stability, toxicity and ability to bioaccumulate. This presentation will describe our recent work on the development of low-cost portable sensors for the detection of PFAS, highlighting manufacturing approaches, scalability, analytical performance and the potential for achieving affordable, field-deployable detection across a broad range of applications such as drinking water quality assessment, environmental remediation, and agro-food monitoring. The portability of these device will enable greater spatial and temporal data resolution and provide a more comprehensive characterization and screening of environmental samples. Finally, a critical assessment of future needs and opportunities to translate these technologies into the practice will be discussed.
Biography
Silvana Andreescu is the Egon Matijević Endowed Chair in Chemistry at Clarkson University. Her research integrates electroanalytical, biochemical, and materials science approaches to create innovative sensing technologies that protect human health and the environment. Her work focuses on developing easy-to-use chemical and biological sensors for field detection of contaminants such as PFAS, metals, pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
The Andreescu lab has pioneered sensing platforms that hat incorporate nanomaterial interfaces to translate chemical and biological interactions into analytical signals for monitoring food, clinical and environmental targets. Her innovations—featured by the ACS, American Food Summit, and the Institute for Food Technology—include advanced functional materials, scalable nanomanufacturing methods, and portable devices such as smart labels for detecting food spoilage and 3D-printed wearable sensors for UV and biomarker monitoring.
Dr. Andreescu has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, co-edited five books, holds 5 patents, and has delivered around 250 invited talks worldwide. Her lab’s work continues to receive attention in scientific and popular media for advancing affordable, portable sensing technologies with real-world impact.
Her recent work features the development and implementation of easy-to-use chemical and biological sensors for field detection of environmental contaminants with focus on PFAS, metals, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals.