Shriya Gurjar/ Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Purnendu Dasgupta
Pure water is a poor conductor of electricity; however, dissolved ions present in water have the ability to carry an electric current. This property of ions can be used to detect water purity by measuring the conductivity of water when testing for ionic impurities. The above principle is well-established and has been employed to design conductivity detectors that are widely used in many laboratories. Our lab aims to produce ultrapure water (18 MΩ cm resistivity) at a flow rate of nanoliters per minute and utilize conductivity detectors to test its resistivity. However, commercially available detectors capable of measuring volumes on an nL/min scale are expensive and difficult to customize. To overcome this limitation, we sought to design and construct a structurally simple and cost-effective Miniature Flow-through Conductivity Detector. The body of the device was made using common, inexpensive materials and its structure was optimized for a simple design. Once constructed, the instrument was calibrated using measurement devices such as ammeters and oscilloscopes using standard KCl solution, and data was analyzed using linear regression. The miniature detector is ideal for precise measurements of ultra-low volumes and is a valuable tool in routine analysis of the resistivity of water.
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