Super Sensitive Sensor 'Tastes' and 'Sniffs'
March 14, 2019 | Technion-Israel Institute of TechnologyEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have developed an innovative sensing system capable of identifying and distinguishing different stimuli. The system is based on origami (the art of paper folding) combined with ink developed at the Technion.
The Israeli researchers have developed an innovative sensing system capable of identifying and distinguishing different stimuli. The research, just published in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Professor Hossam Haick of the Technion’s Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, and Dr. Min Zhang, who did his post-doctoral fellowship with him. Dr. Zhang is currently an associate professor at East China Normal University.
“Today, there is significant demand for multi-purpose sensing systems for specific purposes,” said Prof. Haick. “These systems have great potential as applications in medicine, counterterrorism, food safety, environmental monitoring, ‘The Internet of things’ and more. The problem is that existing technologies, such as gas chromatography, have many disadvantages, including high cost.”
The challenge facing the researchers was to develop a single system sensitive enough to identify and distinguish among different stimuli. They say they developed a solution inspired by nature. “When we think about the human sensory system, we think of a whole that brings all the data to the brain in a format that it understands. That inspired our development, which is meant to concentrate in a different place all the environmental data we want to monitor. It is a multi-purpose sensory system that absorbs the stimuli and distinguishes among them.”
The system developed by Prof. Haick and Dr. Zhang, called “origami hierarchical sensor array” (OHSA), is an integrated array of grouped sensors written on the target object in conductive ink that the two scientists developed. It is a single device that demonstrates sensing abilities and detecting physical and chemical stimuli—temperature, humidity, light and volatile organic particles—at high resolution of time and space. Since it also distinguishes between isomers and chiral enantiomers (forms that are mirror images of each other), it paves new avenues for medical diagnosis. It is worth noting that volatile particle monitoring can be useful in a variety of areas including the diagnosis of disease and monitoring of dangerous substances.
There are many advantages to this unique ink – its low price, the ability to produce it in large quantities and the simplicity of its application on the target surfaces. The researchers conducted experiments that included control groups (other types of ink) and showed that the special ink attaches itself tightly to materials such as aluminum foil; glass; photo paper; Kapton tape (a polyimide film developed by DuPont in the late 1960s that remains stable across a wide range of temperatures and is used in, among other things, flexible printed circuits and thermal blankets used on spacecraft, satellites, and various space instruments; nitrile (the material used to make disposable gloves); and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, used to make contact lenses and for medical technologies and cosmetics).
The ink also allows writing on human skin and nails in a kind of conductive tattoo, waterproof—which may allow, for example, constant monitoring of relevant physiological variables. In addition, it can also be used on human skin and fingernails as a kind of water-resistant, conductive tattoo—which can make possible, for example, constant monitoring of relevant physiological variables.
“We can say that our system identifies the ‘fingerprints’ of chemical and physical stimuli and supplies information about them,” said Prof. Haick. Its low cost will make possible its application in many places, including poor areas, for medical and other uses.”
Optical Microscope images of composite made of melanin-analogous polydopamine and graphene, coating (a) paper; and (b) flexible substrate made of Kapton
Suggested Items
Vicor Power Orders Hentec Industries/RPS Automation Pulsar Solderability Testing System
04/24/2024 | Hentec Industries/RPS AutomationHentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Vicor Power has finalized the purchase of a Pulsar solderability testing system.
Lockheed Martin Successfully Transitions Long Range Discrimination Radar To The Missile Defense Agency
04/23/2024 | Lockheed MartinThe Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Space Force Station in Clear, Alaska, completed DD250 final acceptance and was officially handed over to the Missile Defense Agency in preparation for an Operational Capability Baseline (OCB) decision and final transition to the Warfighter. In addition, prior to this transition, the system has started Space Domain Awareness data collects for the United States Space Force.
US Department of Defense Selects Intel Foundry for Phase Three of RAMP-C
04/23/2024 | IntelThe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Intel Foundry Phase Three of its Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) program.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: AI Implementation at Omron
04/18/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Nolan Johnson and Omron Product Manager Nick Fieldhouse discuss the company's focus on AI implementation to enhance customer experience and results. They address programming challenges and how AI can help customers achieve better outcomes with less experience. Omron's AI is compatible with existing systems, facilitating easy upgrades.
Cadence Unveils Palladium Z3 and Protium X3 Systems
04/18/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsThe Palladium Z3 and Protium X3 systems offer increased capacity, and scale from job sizes of 16 million gates up to 48 billion gates, so the largest SoCs can be tested as a whole rather than just partial models, ensuring proper functionality and performance.