Scientists have developed paper sensors containing nanostructures

[China Instrument Network Instrument Development] Is it safe to eat the remaining cheese in the refrigerator or use eyeshadow that has been in the cupboard for several years? A smart label may come in handy. This is the hope of researchers who have developed new sensors containing nanostructures. When such nanostructures are combined with compounds that can be shown to be destroyed or contaminated by bacteria, they change color.

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Currently available sensors utilize liquid solutions that migrate in the channel, and all reagents owned by newly developed sensors are incorporated into a piece of stamp-sized paper. This means that it can be applied directly to the sample being tested. For example, it can be added to a cosmetic package or lightly rubbed onto the remaining food. In addition, because the device integrates all the reagents needed on a single sheet of paper, the user does not need to add any other substances when the sample is tested.

At the 254th American Chemical Society National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, DC, researchers demonstrated the results. They have used this paper sensor to detect antioxidant compounds in tea and wine. Researchers said that the application of this sensor is very broad and can also be used to identify new medicinal plants or natural resources that have antioxidant properties in remote areas such as the Amazon rainforest.

In the future, this technology is expected to be integrated into smart labels and combined with the Internet of Things technology to enable real-time detection of food, cosmetics and other products. We are expected to promptly learn whether the food has spoiled through the application on the smartphone so that we can promptly discard the bad food.

(Original title: Scientists Developed Paper Sensors)