Abstract
A chemical sensor was fabricated using indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films printed on biodegradable plastic substrates. The ITO layers were printed on polylactic acid (PLA) films. To optimize the printing procedure, the thermal properties of the PLA substrate were investigated using the differential scanning calorimetry method. The structural and electrical properties of the fabricated ITO films (P-ITO) were compared with commercial sputtered ITO films (S-ITO). X-ray diffraction and Hall effect measurements were used to estimate the grain size and the carrier transportation mechanism of the ITO films. The small grain size of P-ITO was attributed to its scattering mechanism. Grain boundary scattering was shown to be dominant in the P-ITO. The chemical sensing properties were also evaluated using a droplet of methanol (20 µl), indicating that the response rate of the P-ITO film was considerably higher (650%) than that of the S-ITO film. These results were attributed to the large surface area of the P-ITO film.
Highlights
Hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs) are harmful to the human body and can cause fire or explosion hazards .1 When spilled in the ocean, they become widely diffused along the current to cause serious and widespread environmental pollution.1,2 Sensors for detecting the spilled HNS in the sea must satisfy special requirements
We propose a chemical sensor based on printed indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films that can be discarded in the ocean after HNS detection
In order to ensure the uniformity of the printed film thickness and area, it is necessary to adjust the viscosity of the paste according to the surface energy (γ) of the polylactic acid (PLA) substrate
Summary
Hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs) are harmful to the human body and can cause fire or explosion hazards . When spilled in the ocean, they become widely diffused along the current to cause serious and widespread environmental pollution. Sensors for detecting the spilled HNS in the sea must satisfy special requirements. When spilled in the ocean, they become widely diffused along the current to cause serious and widespread environmental pollution.. Sensors for detecting the spilled HNS in the sea must satisfy special requirements. It is difficult to collect contaminated sensors after HNS detection, and it is not suitable to operate a heater to increase the sensitivity because explosive or flammable materials may be present. There is, a need for a new type of sensor that can be naturally discarded after use and can operate at room temperature. The problem of environmental pollution caused by the sensor systems must be carefully considered, especially for maritime applications, because the sensor could be lost during operation. We propose a chemical sensor based on printed indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films that can be discarded in the ocean after HNS detection. The structural, electrical, and sensing properties of the ITO detectors were analyzed and discussed
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