Novel Materials and Applications of Electronic Noses and Tongues
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Novel Materials and Applications of Electronic Noses and Tongues
Perena Gouma and Giorgio Sberveglieri, Guest Editors Abstract This introductory article describes the content of the October 2004 issue of MRS Bulletin focusing on novel materials and applications of electronic noses and tongues.The articles in this issue review the state of the art in materials, devices, and data processing algorithms used in electronic olfaction and taste systems. The most common gas- and liquid-phase analyte detection tools are presented and compared with traditional chemical analysis instrumentation such as gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy systems. Metal oxides, polymer/polymer composites, and dyes are covered in these articles as key sensing materials. Resistive, optical, electrochemical, and other types of electronic nose and tongue systems are reviewed, and their use in diverse applications, including environmental and food-quality monitoring and medical diagnostics, is discussed. Keywords: biosensors, chemical detectors, electronic noses, electronic tongues, medical diagnostics, sensor arrays.
An increasing demand for electronic instruments that can mimic human olfactory processes and that may provide low-cost, rapid sensory information to hasten the process of odor evaluation for applications such as food-quality assessment, environmental monitoring, and even forensics has led over the years to the conceptualization of an “electronic nose.” This is defined as an intelligent chemical sensor array system for odor classification.1,2 Electronic nose systems, including the materials used to build the sensing elements, device architecture, and intelligent signal processing routines, are the focus of this issue of MRS Bulletin. Key developments in the domain of artificial olfaction are reviewed through the contributions of leading experts in this field. The most common sensor materials and technologies used, those based on semiconducting oxides, polymers, and dyes, are identified, and a variety of other types of sensor materials and technologies, such as electrochemical detectors used in “electronic tongues” (taste sensor arrays able
MRS BULLETIN/OCTOBER 2004
to operate in liquid environments), are discussed. The importance of reviewing the state of electronic nose and tongue technology lies in the current need for advanced detection devices for security (both civilian and military) and health safety applications, such as the detection of explosives and infection monitoring. Furthermore, the need for biochemical detectors that are able to sense the presence of pathogens in humans and that can contribute to the early detection of diseases is high. Recently, medical applications of electronic noses have been explored. The use of a novel electronic nose to diagnose the presence of pulmonary infection3,4 and distinguish between serum and cerebrospinal fluid, as might be encountered in exudates collected from the eye or ear, has been reported.5 Osmetech has obtained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use its m
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