Prof. Luisa Torsi

H.E. Merck prize 2010

Dipartimento di Chimica Università degli

Studi di Bari “A. Moro”

Italy

.

FlexSmell FP7-PEOPLE-ITN-2008

Gas sensors on flexible substrates for wireless

applications

01.01.2010 - 31.12.2013

www.luisatorsi.info

Roma, 7 Novembre 2011

MIUR - Sala Conferenza

C, Piazzale Kennedy 20

Roma, 7 Novembre 2011

MIUR - Sala Conferenza

C, Piazzale Kennedy 20

144

PARTNERS

Network

USFD

UNIMAN

Italy

Iran

Greece

Italy VTT

Portugal

Ethiopia

TNO

Georgia

EKUT

India

UNIBA

India Romania EPFL

Turkey China

Columbia Spain

WEBSITE

Professor Luisa Torsi has been awarded with the 2010

Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award for Analytical Sciences.

This marks the first time that renowned award has been given

to a woman and to a scientist in Italy. The award, will be

presented at the EUCHEMS Congress in Nuremberg,

Germany, on August 31, 2010.

For more than 20 years, the Heinrich-Emanuel-Merck Award

has been recognizing scientists under the age of 45 whose

work focuses on new methods in chemical analysis and the

deployment thereof in applications aimed at improving the

quality of human life, for example in fields such as

environmental protection, life sciences or the biosciences.

RESEARCHERS AWARDS

The Eurosensors Fellowship 2010 has been awarded to Danick Briand, École

Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, for his outstanding contribution to

both the field of micro-analytical instruments and Eurosensors.

Danick Briand received his B.Eng. degree and M.A.Sc. degree in engineering

physics from École Polytechnique in Montréal, Canada, in collaboration with the

Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG), France, in 1995 and 1997,

respectively. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in the field of micro-chemical systems

from the Institute of Microtechnology (IMT), University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland in

2001. His Ph.D. led to the successful technological transfer of micromachined gas

sensing platforms to industry. He is currently leading the research team on

EnviroMEMS, Energy and Enviromental MEMS, at EPFL-IMT SAMLAB.

RESEARCHERS AWARDS

ESR-2 PhD student (India)

Antonis Dragoneas, ESR-8 at University of

Sheffield, has been awarded with the 2nd

Poster Prize at the 'UK Semiconductors

2011'.

• From production to consumption, food products pass through

different stages in different conditions.

• Degradation of food products due to bacteria and chemical decomposition

during the process of transport, storage and distribution.

• Food freshness of fresh food need to be preserved, detected, indicated

and communicated.

The Problem !

Production Storage Consumer Transport Point of sell

Food chain from farm to fork

• “ The identification of the origin of

feed and food ingredients and

food sources is of prime

importance for the protection of

consumers, particularly when

products are found to be faulty ”.

• “ Traceability will help in

withdrawal of foods and enable

consumers to be provided with

targeted and accurate information

concerning implicated products ”.

Traceability of food

EC Regulation 178/2002/EC

World Food Trace, Inc.

Why are we doing this ?

Traceability + Quality + Quantity

Traceability + Quality + Quantity

• Degrading food products release signature gases or fluids

• Signature gases can be sniffed by gas sensors (electronic nose)

• Quantitative and qualitative information about freshness of food can be

obtained and transmitted to central information system

Problem itself has a solution!

Degrading food product during its life shelf

Chemical and

Biological

Degradation

Release of specific

signature gases and

liquids

These gases can unveil

the freshness of food

Smart gas

sensors

Traceability + Quality + Quantity

RFID

technology

for

wireless

communication

Low-cost and low

power consumption

Gas

sensors Organic electronics

based

Flexible and printable

For mass production

R2R

How ?

Electronic nose

FlexSmell Concept

0.0 -0.1 -0.2 -0.3 -0.4 -0.50.0

-0.1-0.2-0.3-0.4-0.5-0.6-0.7-0.8-0.9-1.0-1.1-1.2-1.3

I DS

(A

)

VG = 0 V

VG = -0.1 V

VG = -0.2 V

VG = -0.3 V

VG = -0.4 V

VG = -0.5 V

VDS (V)

Measure

Tra

nsm

it

Sense

VDS

VG

Substrate

G

Gate

S D

Rem

ote

da

ta

tran

sm

issio

n

Food product OTFT Sensor

RFID

• Item level identification

• Verification without opening container

• Qualitative and Quantitative information

about food quality

• Pay less for inferior product

• Discard degraded products

UNIBA in FlexSmell

Si/SiO2

D S

PE-CVD

Plasma deposition of functional groups

on the surface of Organic semiconductor

OTFT surface

Incorporation of analyte specific bio-receptors

in OTFT (Organic thin film transistor) sensor

0.0 -0.1 -0.2 -0.3 -0.4 -0.50.0

-0.1-0.2-0.3-0.4-0.5-0.6-0.7-0.8-0.9-1.0-1.1-1.2-1.3

I DS

(A

)

VG = 0 V

VG = -0.1 V

VG = -0.2 V

VG = -0.3 V

VG = -0.4 V

VG = -0.5 V

VDS (V)

Evaluating electrical performance of OTFT

Analytical characterization of functionalized

sensing layers 0

1.0 E+4

2.0 E+4

3.0 E+4

4.0 E+4

5.0 E+4

Counts

/ s

278 280 282 284 286 288 290 292 Binding Energy (eV)

With Plasma

deposition

Without Plasma

deposition

Poster B-24 - Biodiversity, safe food and sustainable agriculture

Applications of flexible wireless gas sensors

Space applications:

Low weight, flexible sensors

Fashion:

Wearable health condition

monitoring sensors

Environment:

Vehicle gas emissions

Health care:

Remote monitoring of wound condition

Security:

Explosive detection

Food packaging:

Traceability, quality control and

freshness indication

Industrial:

Disposable gas sensors

Being a part of sssssssssss

Personality

development

from PhD

schools and

conferences

Multi-

disciplinary

Scientific

Skills

through

research

Fostering

networking

through

secondments

Exposure to

international

Work culture

Highly

recognized

fellowship in

scientific

community

Bright Future ahead !

"If I could see farther than the others, is only because I was

standing upon the shoulders of the giants"

— Sir. Isaac Newton

Thank

you

www.luisatorsi.info

Prof. Luisa Torsi

(Italy)

Project Coordinator

Liviu Dumitru

(Romania)

ESR-1 PhD student

Project Manager

Dr. Cristina Tanese

(Italy)

Group

In

Mohammad Yusuf Mulla

(India)

ESR-2 PhD student

• http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/foodlaw/traceability/index_en.htm

• http://seo.notdefteri.gen.tr/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/google-farmer-update.jpg

• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJuiphG_z-0/TilR6vZsoHI/AAAAAAAAAH8/7aYA97JdthA/s1600/breakfast_cartoon1.jpg

• http://www.van-amerongen.nl/Basis.aspx?Tid=1035&Sid=1038&Hmi=1038&Smi=0

• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/are-scientists-new-fisherman-cartoon.php

• http://milla-serendipity.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

• http://www.medlaunches.com/technology/electronic_nose_sniffs_out_dis.php

• http://www.gdoweek.it/glry/mar_imec/2imec.jpg

• http://www.gdoweek.it/glry/mar_imec/1imec.jpg

• http://www.wiley-vch.de/util/hottopics/o-electronics/

• http://www.innovagraf.es/?p=1075

• http://science-wired.blogspot.com/2010/03/nanotube-rfid-better-barcodes.html

• http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2005-04-05/gencer-plasticelectronics

• http://www.orgatronics.com/smart_fabrics.html

• http://www.pira-international.com/subscriptions/Active-and-Intelligent-Packaging-World.aspx

References