Screen Printed IDE Modified Metal Oxide Carbon Nanotube Composite Layer for Urea Fertilizer Detection

The extensive use of fertilizers in recent agricultural approaches has increased the concerns about the toxic accumulation of Nitrogen-based compounds in soil. This work reports the development of a Urea sensor, which was fabricated by screen printing an interdigitated electrode (IDE) structure and subsequently modified with a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite active layer. The electrochemical sensing characteristics of the MWCNT/ZnO active layer were determined using an impedance/gain phase analyzing system. The resulting composite structure was found to have a proportional impedance change with Urea concentrations (5-50 mM). This sensor might be beneficial in managing future Urea fertilizer application rates to inhibit overfertilization in the agriculture field.