The objective of this proposal is design and development of a micro-nano Integrated SMART water health monitoring and decontamination system-on-a-package (SOP). This objective will be met through the following specific goals of this proposal: (a) to understand and address the challenges in measurement of flood water parameters, in particular Coliforms, continuously and rapidly throughout large volumes and over large time spans, using micro-sensor system integrated with wireless communication system; (b) another key objective is to embed specially engineered decontaminating surface activated nanoparticles reservoir coupled in a feedback-loop with the micro-sensor to release the particles once a high Coliform count is detected in the contaminated flood regions in the instances such as after Hurricane Katrina.
Intellectual merit of the project will have far reaching implications in the areas of (1) fundamental science required to enable the development of integrated sensing systems that would be capable of rapid response monitoring of the flood water affected area, (2) design considerations of such fusion of nano-micro devices and materials and their survivability in the harsh environment, and (3) testing of nanoparticles with sample contaminant, representative of what was observed in the Katrina aftermath.
Broader Impact of the project would facilitate the fundamental understanding and optimization of the science and technology of continuous water quality monitoring as well as active environment specific remediation in case of catastrophic events.
