Microplotter-Printed On-Chip Combinatorial Library of Ink-Derived Multiple Metal Oxides as an "Electronic Olfaction"...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Sensing

Background:

• Real-time atmospheric monitoring relies on gas sensors in multisensor arrays (electronic olfaction units).
• Achieving orthogonal sensor responses cost-effectively is a key challenge, especially for on-chip applications in IoT and breath diagnostics.
• Additive manufacturing offers a low-cost approach for developing chip-based gas analysis systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, chip-based multisensor array using additive manufacturing.
• To create a combinatorial library of semiconducting oxides for chemiresistive gas sensing.
• To assess the performance of printed nanocrystalline oxides for detecting volatile organic compounds.

Main Methods:

• Utilized hydrolytically active heteroligand metal complexes as ink components for microplotter patterning.
• Fabricated a multioxide combinatorial library of chemiresistive thin films (MnO2, TiO2, ZrO2, CeO2, ZnO, Cr2O3, Co3O4, SnO2) on a single chip.
• Assessed the micronanostructure and fabrication conditions of printed oxides (up to 70 nm thick).

Main Results:

• The developed multioxide library demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity for various alcohol vapors (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol) at low ppm concentrations.
• Vector signals were effectively delivered across a range of operating temperatures (up to 400 °C).
• Diverse chemiresistive responses from printed nanocrystalline oxides were observed.

Conclusions:

• The additive manufacturing approach enables the cost-effective fabrication of high-performance electronic olfaction devices.
• The printed multioxide library shows promise for advanced gas sensing applications, including IoT and non-invasive diagnostics.
• This method provides a pathway to well-performed, low-cost, on-chip gas analytical systems.