RESUMO
The direct quantification of multiple ions in aqueous mixtures is achieved by combining an automated machine learning pipeline with transient potentiometric data obtained from a single miniaturized array of polymeric sensors electrodeposited on a conventional printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. A proof-of-concept system was demonstrated by employing 16 polymeric sensors in combination with features extracted from the transient differential voltages produced by these sensors when transitioning from a reference solution to a test solution, thereby obviating the need for a conventional reference electrode. A tree-based regression model enabled concentrations of various metal cations in pure solutions to be determined in less than 2 min. In a model mixture comprising Al3+, Cu2+, Na+, and Fe3+, the mean relative error was found to depend on the type of ion and varied between 1% for Fe3+ and 44% for Na+ in the concentration range 1-10 mg/L. Overall, a mean relative error of 16% was obtained for quantification of these four ions across a total of 124 tests in different solutions spanning concentrations between 2 and 360 mg/L. These results demonstrate how the analytical capability of a multiselective sensor array can leverage data-driven approaches through training by examples for accelerated testing and can be proposed to complement traditional analytical tools to meet industrial demands, including traceability of chemicals.