Isabel María Pérez de Vargas-Sansalvador

A smartphone-controlled paper microfluidic platform integrates capacitive flow sensing, thermally triggered reagent release and colour-corrected imaging for automated nitrite determination in water.

This study provides a detailed comparison of three optical sensing approaches for colourimetric bio/chemical detection, focusing on cost, scalability, and performance. We examine laboratory-grade spectrophotometry, portable camera-based imaging, and low-cost LED photometry using Paired Emitter–Detector Diode (PEDD) charge–discharge methodology. Our findings reveal that while the LED-based PEDD system outperforms the other two methods in key sensory metrics—such as sensitivity, resolution, and limit of detection—its cost-effectiveness and scalability make it a promising solution for widespread industrial and field applications. Compared to the spectrophotometer, the LED/PEDD approach demonstrates improvements in measurement range (×16.39), dynamic range (×147.06), accuracy (×1.79), and sensitivity (×107.53). The results highlight the potential for industrial-scale adoption of LED photometry, especially for cost-effective applications in bio/chemical sensing sectors.

An inkjet printed membrane is presented as a colorimetric sensor for oxygen for use in smart packaging, in order to quickly inform the consumer about possible degradation reactions in modified atmosphere products (MAP). The colorimetric sensor is based on the redox dye, toluidine blue (TB), a sacrificial electron donor, glycerol, and, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, as the hydrophilic polymeric matrix. The UVC-wavelength activated TB is photoreduced by SnO₂ nanoparticle ink. This colorimetric oxygen indicator stays colourless upon exposure in nitrogen atmosphere to 7 min UVC light (6 W·cm⁻²). The photoreduced TB to leuco TB recovers its original colour upon exposure to oxygen for 55 min under ambient conditions (∼21 °C, ∼55%RH, 21% O₂). The characteristics of the sensor have been evaluated, including its functionality through the colorimetric response to different oxygen concentrations as well as the influence of experimental variables such as humidity and temperature using a digital camera as the detector. The results obtained show that: (1) the colorimetric sensor remains stable in the absence of oxygen; (2) relative humidity greater than 60% significantly affects the reoxidation process; and (3) the temperature has a significant influence on the colour recovery, although the stability increases considerably when the sensor is kept refrigerated at 4 °C. A real application to packaged ham was performed, demonstrating that the printed colorimetric sensor is stable for at least 48 hours once activated and when the container deteriorates upon the entrance of oxygen, the sensor returns to its original blue colour, demonstrating its utility as a UVC-activated colorimetric oxygen sensor.

In this study we present an NIR carbon dioxide gas sensor based on an inner filter process that includes an ionic liquid (IL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIMBF₄), to improve its stability, dynamic behavior and lifetime, which are usually the main drawbacks with these sensors. The presence of CO₂ causes a displacement of a simple boron-dipyrromethene-type fluorophore, azaBODIPY, as the pH indicator towards its acid form. This increases the emission intensity of Cr(III)-doped gadolinium aluminium borate (GAB) as the luminophore. The characterization of the prepared sensor was carried out and a discussion of the results is presented. The response and recovery times improved considerably, 23 and 49 s, respectively, with respect to the sensor without IL, at 60 and 120 s, respectively,. Additionally, the measurement range is extended when using IL, able in this case to measure in the complete range up to 100% CO₂; without IL the measurement range is limited to 60% CO₂. The detection limit ranges from 0.57% CO₂ without IL to 0.26% CO₂ when IL is added. The useful lifetime of the sensing membrane was 20 days for membranes with IL and only 6 days for membranes without IL, with the sensor always kept in the dark and without the need to maintain a special atmosphere.

Here, we present a technique for the determination of the gaseous oxygen concentration inside packed food. It is based on the use of a luminescent membrane sensitive to O ₂ that is optically excited and read by a smartphone. The flash of the smartphone along with an optical filter is used as the light source for the optical stimulation of the membrane. The luminescence generated, which is quenched by the surrounding gaseous oxygen, is registered by the rear camera of the same device. The response parameter is defined by combining the registered intensities at two different wavelength ranges corresponding to the emission and the absorption peaks of the sensitive membrane. Thanks to this novel response parameter, the sensitivity is increased and, more importantly, the thermal dependence of the membrane is significantly reduced. This approach allows the use of a luminescent O ₂ -sensitive membrane for intelligent packaging with no need of any associated electronics for its excitation and reading. This means that an oxygen sensor is developed, where a luminescent compound acts as an indicator, therefore combining the advantages of both schemes, that is, the simplicity and reduced cost of indicators with the high sensitivity and accuracy of selective sensors.