Toxic contaminants in water known as “forever chemicals” that are detrimental public health will be detected much faster thanks to a portable nanosensor device being developed by Associate Professor Woo Hyoung Lee.
Lee received more than $300,000 in funding to develop a handheld electrochemical nanosensor that detects these harmful chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in water.
Support for the next-generation device came from five grants, including funding from the Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, METAWATER, the National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation program, and UCF’s Seed Funding Program.
PFAS are man-made chemicals often found in materials that make them water resistant. It’s used in a number of items, such as carpeting, cleaning supplies, nonstick cookware, personal care products and food packaging.
Its widespread use can be damaging to the environment and to people’s health. But eliminating them isn’t easy. When these chemicals make their way into the water supply, they tend to linger, earning them the name “forever chemicals.”
“PFAS are often called ‘forever chemicals’ because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in nature, making them extremely persistent in the environment,” Lee says. “They accumulate in human blood, wildlife and ecosystems, and do not break down through conventional water treatment.”
He adds that PFAS exposure has been linked to a number of health concerns, including an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, thyroid disorders and low birth weight.
“Because PFAS migrate easily through soil and water, contamination can persist for decades, threatening groundwater, surface water and food chains long after the original source is removed,” he says.
Currently, water samples must be collected and sent to a lab. The device Lee’s team is developing will feature wireless capability, a mobile app interface and a plug-and-play sensor, enabling on-site testing at locations such as wastewater treatment plants, landfill leachate pump stations, groundwater monitoring wells and natural water sources such as lakes and rivers.
Lee says their device is poised to revolutionize PFAS decontamination efforts.
“Unlike conventional PFAS analysis methods, which cost hundreds of dollars and take days, this handheld device delivers results in less than two hours for less than $50 per test, providing both ultra-sensitivity and selectivity for targeted PFAS compounds,” Lee says.
He adds that in addition to reducing costs and turnaround time, the device will address major challenges in PFAS monitoring.
“It minimizes sample contamination by enabling testing directly on-site, allows rapid screening across many locations, and provides access to PFAS testing for small or underserved communities that lack laboratory resources,” Lee says. “The device also supports real-time tracking of treatment systems and early detection of contamination spikes, capabilities not available with current field tools.”
The nanosensor is designed to detect PFAS across a wide dynamic range, from parts-per-trillion to parts-per-billion levels, allowing it to target the most toxic and widely used of the PFAS compounds within water matrices: perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS.
“They are the PFAS with the strictest EPA regulations, now limited to four parts per trillion in drinking water, and are found at the highest concentrations in real-world samples, including Florida landfill leachate,” Lee says. “Their persistence, health risks and regulatory priority make them the primary targets for rapid field detection.”
The mobile sensor will have far-reaching impacts for the many stakeholders that oversee water quality in their communities, including municipalities, airports, military bases, landfill and biosolids managers, state and federal regulators, and environmental consultants.
Lee anticipates that a prototype for their device will be available next summer. He says their development timeline keeps them on schedule to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new monitoring requirements, scheduled to begin in 2027 for more than 148,000 water systems.
The device was made possible thanks to multiple research efforts that addressed specific sensor features, including projects co-led by Associate Professor Yeonwoong Jung from the UCF Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the NanoScience Technology Center, and Associate Professor A.H.M. Anwar Sadmani from the UCF Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering.
“Together, these projects position UCF as a national leader in sensor-based environmental monitoring — bridging nanotechnology, electrochemistry and translational research,” Lee says. “PFAS contamination remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the U.S. The portable PFAS nanosensors developed at UCF will empower municipal utilities, regulators and rural communities to perform rapid, on-site testing at a fraction of traditional costs, accelerating treatment decisions, ensuring compliance and protecting public health.”
- Written by Bel Huston