Nanostructured carbon platforms for artificial olfaction: from sensor arrays to virtual e-noses

Place: conference room, IMDEA Nanociencia.

Abstract:

Advanced nanotechnology and artificial intelligence are accelerating the development of artificial olfactory systems. Nanostructured carbon sensing layers, in both simple chemiresistive and FET architectures, represent an ideal starting point to explore current options for artificial olfaction. Both architectures allow for the implementation of e-noses that, in addition to the capability to detect target gas molecules, are designed to discriminate these molecules in a background of other interfering volatile compounds. In order to achieve the desired discrimination level a multidisciplinary approach is required, which involves the physics and chemistry of gas adsorption on surfaces, surface functionalization strategies, device engineering, and machine learning approaches to data analysis and pattern classification [1-3].
In this talk, the steps to reach this goal are presented and the main achievements are discussed for a set of nanostructured carbon layers, which include functionalized CNTs and graphene [4,5]. In particular, functionalization strategies, chemiresistive performances, device steering, and e-nose schemes will be outlined and discussed. These results will be related to emerging application fields that currently range from breathomics to environmental monitoring, from safety and security to the assessment of food origin, quality, and integrity.

[1] S Freddi, et al., Chemical defect‐driven response on graphene‐based chemiresistors for sub‐ppm ammonia detection, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 61 (2022), e202200115;
[2] S Freddi, et al., Development of a sensing array for human breath analysis based on swcnt layers functionalized with semiconductor organic molecules, Advanced Healthcare Materials 9 (2020), 2000377;
[3] D. Perilli, et al., Design of highly responsive chemiresistor-based sensors by interfacing NiPc with graphene. Communication Materials, 5 (2024) 254;
[4] M Galvani et al. , Efficient Implementation of MINT-Based Chemiresistor Arrays for Artificial Olfaction, J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2025), 147, 23248;
[5] M Zanotti, et al., Physical Virtualization of a GFET for a Versatile, High‐Throughput, and Highly Discriminating Detection of Target Gas Molecules at Room Temperature, Advanced Materials Technologies 10 (2024), 2400985.

Short biography:

Luigi Sangaletti is Full Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC). He graduated in Physics from the University of Milan in 1989 and, after being visiting scholar at the Department of Physics of Stanford University, obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pavia in 1993. He joined UCSC in 1999. His latest research focuses on developing electronic noses using an integrated approach that begins with the surface functionalization of sensing layers and extends to the design of innovative device architectures, spanning from chemiresistor arrays to virtual e-noses. He leads the Surface Science and Spectroscopy Laboratory, promoting interdisciplinary research in materials physics at the Department of Mathematics and Physics of UCSC.

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