Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
09:39
Technique to Collect Fungiform Taste Papillae from Human Tongue
Published on: September 18, 2010
30.0K
Whisky tasting using a bimetallic nanoplasmonic tongue
Gerard Macias1, Justin R Sperling, William J Peveler
1School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow, UK. Alasdair.clark@glasgow.ac.uk.
Nanoscale
|August 7, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a reusable bimetallic optical tongue using gold and aluminum nano-arrays. This novel sensor technology enables faster, smaller chemical analysis with high accuracy, paving the way for portable identification devices.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Plasmonics
- Chemical Sensing
Background:
- Metallic nanostructures offer stability and sensitivity for optical tongue devices.
- Plasmonic resonance is highly responsive to environmental changes.
- Chemical functionalization is key for targeted sensing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reusable, miniaturized optical tongue using multiplexed bimetallic nano-arrays.
- To demonstrate the advantages of dual-resonance sensing over single-resonance systems.
- To assess the device's capability in differentiating complex chemical mixtures.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of multiplexed gold and aluminum nano-arrays for dual-resonance detection.
- Orthogonal surface chemistries for specific functionalization of plasmonic arrays.
- Application of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) for data interpretation.
Main Results:
- The bimetallic device achieved two distinct resonance peaks per sensing region.
- Sensor size and data acquisition time were halved compared to monometallic devices.
- Off-the-shelf whiskies were differentiated with >99.7% accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Bimetallic nanoplasmonic devices offer significant advantages in miniaturization and speed.
- The developed optical tongue is highly effective for rapid chemical mixture identification.
- Future applications include portable, reusable sensors for real-time analysis.
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