Session 2B: Inaugural Lectures by Fellows/Associates

Engineered Materials And Devices For Water Pollutants Detection

Water being the vital component of life existence on Earth is a widely studied subject worldwide in terms of quality, quantity, mapping, availability, chemistry, etc. However, the increased level living standards of humans in recent past, as a measure of economic development, has resulted into escalation in urbanization and industrialization activities. While the regulation of water usage, discharge, and management is not at par strictly adopted and implemented. This scenario has resulted into high level of contaminants in water bodies including surface, ground, and river water, making them unavailable for use. In light of these facts, there is need for the intervention of affordable and user friendly water quality monitoring technologies to ensure the safety of water being consumed. Besides, online monitoring devices are needed to help regulatory bodies to identify point sources of pollution and check upon them through regulatory laws and policies. In this session, the speaker will talk about the fundamental science we have been doing in terms of engineering materials for their optical, electrical, and electrochemical properties, and translation thereof into affordable water quality devices for some of the water pollutants namely, inorganic ions.