Abstract

The potential health risks associated with aluminum intake through food have raised concerns, necessitating accurate detection methods. Among promising approaches, ion-selective electrodes offer rapid and cost-effective aluminum detection. Quercetin, recognized for its ability to chelate aluminum ions, stands out as a leading candidate for the fabrication of these electrodes. Our research introduces a novel, selective, and environmentally friendly screen-printed sensor specifically designed for measuring aluminum ions (Al³⁺) in food and beverages. In comparing various ionophores (quercetin, morin, calixarene 4, and di-iodohydroxyquinoline), the quercetin-based sensor demonstrated superior recognition capability and sensitivity toward aluminum. The sensor utilizes multi-walled carbon nanotubes to enhance its stability and detection capabilities. The performance parameters of the sensor were validated according to the IUPAC criteria. The proposed MWCNT-SPE demonstrated a Nernstian slope of 21.9 ± 0.4 mV decade−1 within the concentration range of 0.023 -1070 µM. It maintained a rapid response time of 3 seconds. and was unaffected by pH changes in the range of 3.0 – 5.0. The sensor also demonstrated significant selectivity toward ions when compared to several other cations and showed minimal slope or operating range variations. Further research was conducted to test the applicability of the designed sensor for analyzing aluminum in various dietary samples and simulated biological fluids. This study also validated the binding interactions between ions and quercetin theoretically using Density Functional Theory computation, which revealed a strong correlation with experimental findings. The computational analysis provides robust evidence supporting the binding affinity and interaction mechanism observed in the experimental study, further enhancing the understanding of the complexation between Al3+ ions and quercetin at a molecular level. Finally, our results exhibit the potential of the fabricated quercetin-based sensor as a reliable tool for determining aluminum levels in different matrices, contributing to enhanced food safety and quality control measures and paving the way for promising point-of-care testing applications.

School

School of Sciences and Engineering

Department

Chemistry Department

Degree Name

MS in Chemistry

Graduation Date

Spring 6-18-2025

Submission Date

5-26-2025

First Advisor

Tamer Shoeib

Second Advisor

Norhan BadrEldin

Committee Member 1

Tamer Shoeib

Committee Member 2

Norhan BadrEldin

Extent

86 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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Available for download on Tuesday, May 25, 2027

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