Wireless Tags with Hybrid Nanomaterials for Volatile Amine Detection

Abstract

Quality control in the production and processing of raw meat is currently one of the biggest concerns for food industry and would benefit from portable and wireless sensors capable of detecting the onset of spoilage. Raw meat is a natural source of biogenic and volatile amines as byproducts of decarboxylation reactions, and the levels of these compounds can be utilized as quality control parameters. We report herein a hybrid chemiresistor sensor based on inorganic nanofibers of SiO 2 :ZnO (an n-type material) and single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with 3,5-dinitrophenyls (a p-type material) with dosimetric sensitivity ∼40 times higher for amines than for other volatile organic compounds, which also provides excellent selectivity. The hybrid nanomaterial-based chemiresistor sensory material was used to convert radio-frequency identification tags into chemically actuated resonant devices, which constitute wireless sensors that can be potentially employed in packaging to report on the quality of meat. Specifically, the as-developed wireless tags report on cumulative amine exposure inside the meat package, showing a decrease in radio-frequency signals to the point wherein the sensor ceased to be smartphone-readable. These hybrid material-modified wireless tags offer a path to scalable, affordable, portable, and wireless chemical sensor technology for food quality monitoring without the need to open the packaging.

Recent Progress in Amine Gas Sensors for Food Quality Monitoring: Novel Architectures for Sensing Materials and Systems

“…The p-CARDs response could be improved by using more selective and sensitive chemiresistive sensors based on ptoluene sulfonate hexahydrate (PTS) doped PANI nanostructures 57 or hybrid (inorganic n-type/organic p-type) composites comprising SiO 2 :ZnO nanofibers (NF) and functionalized SWCNTs. 105 PTS−PANI modified tags have the advantage of being compatible with inkjet printing, 57 presenting a high chemoresistive sensitivity (ΔR/R 0 ) toward 5 ppm vapors of the biogenic amines putrescine (46%) and cadaverine (17%). Wireless sensors based on hybrid SiO 2 :ZnO NF/SWCNTs structures 105 (Figure 5A) presented a dosimetric sensitivity approximately 40 times higher for amines when compared to other VOCs, allowing the quantitative detection at concentrations as low as 2.5 ppm.…”

“…105 PTS−PANI modified tags have the advantage of being compatible with inkjet printing, 57 presenting a high chemoresistive sensitivity (ΔR/R 0 ) toward 5 ppm vapors of the biogenic amines putrescine (46%) and cadaverine (17%). Wireless sensors based on hybrid SiO 2 :ZnO NF/SWCNTs structures 105 (Figure 5A) presented a dosimetric sensitivity approximately 40 times higher for amines when compared to other VOCs, allowing the quantitative detection at concentrations as low as 2.5 ppm. Such p-CARDs were successfully tested for detection of biogenic amines released during the spoilage of different kinds of meat (beef, chicken, and fish), presenting a more pronounced response for chicken meat, which usually shows higher emission of volatile amines during putrefaction.…”

Emerging Internet of Things driven carbon nanotubes-based devices

“…Among them, the chemiresistors possess the simplicity with two electrodes, which satisfies the requirement of IoT applications [189], i.e., low cost, low energy consumption, and distributed sensor networks. Indeed, the chemiresistors are highly compatible with the integration of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags [190,191].…”

Gas Sensors Based on Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

“…Last but not least, the booming IoT sets higher requirements for next-generation sensors. Flexible or wearable sensors [ 17 , 141 , 142 ], and those with ultralow power consumption or even powerless (self-powered), and the ability to wirelessly communicate [ 139 , 143 , 144 , 145 , 146 ], and combinations of these [ 147 , 148 , 149 ] need to be considered in the future device fabrication.…”