Fabrication of smartphone-based colorimetric device for detection of water leaks

South Africa is a water-scarce country due to the shortage of rainfall. This scarcity further exacerbated by loss water through leakage from faulty pipes. paper reports on use simple microfluidic device in early detection leakages. The paper-based (µPADs) were prepared printing patterns wax (100 μm width) surface and melting into form hydrophobic barriers. Solutions lower higher pH also introduced chlorophenol red test strips range colours yellow (lower pH) purple (higher obtained. digital images obtained with μPADs analysed using CIELab colour system. optimized was wider than typical grayscale-based image analysis successful for wide 2–12. QR codes attached enable tracking obtain real-time location which detected. study conclusively shows that combination μPAD highly efficient quantitative analysis, thus useful household leaks.