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Detection of greenhouse gases is essential because harmful gases in the air diffuse rapidly over large areas in a short period of time, causing air pollution that will induce climate change with catastrophic consequences over time. Among the materials with favorable morphologies for gas detection (nanofibers, nanorods, nanosheets), large specific surfaces, high sensitivity and low production costs, we chose nanostructured porous films of In2O3 obtained by the sol-gel method, deposited on alumina transducers, with gold (Au) interdigitated electrodes (IDE) and platinum (Pt) heating circuits. Sensitive films contained 10 deposited layers, involving intermediate and final thermal treatments to stabilize the sensitive film. The fabricated sensor was characterized using AFM, SEM, EDX and XRD. The film morphology is complex, containing fibrillar formations and some quasi-spherical conglomerates. The deposited sensitive films are rough, thus favoring gas adsorption. Ozone sensing tests were performed at different temperatures. The highest response of the ozone sensor was recorded at room temperature, considered to be the working temperature for this specific sensor.

Sensor systems for monitoring indoor air quality are vital for the precise quantification of the mechanisms which lead to the deterioration of human health, with a typical person spending an average of 20 h a day in an enclosed space. Thus, a series of layered chemoresistive sensors, obtained by the facile electrodeposition of carbon nanomaterial-enhanced PANI composites, have been tested for the selective detection of two core indoor pollutants: ammonia and nitrogen dioxide. The sensors were tested with respect to sensitivity and selectivity to the target gasses, with performance being assessed based on response linearity and repeatability at room temperature. Of the tested sensors, two have been identified as having an adequate performance on ammonia, with sensitivities of up to 96.99% and resolutions of up to 0.85 ppm being observed, while on nitrogen dioxide, despite the successful sensor having a lower sensitivity, 10.71%, it has shown high resolution, 1.25 ppm, and linearity over a large concentration domain. These high performances highlight the viability of multi-layers chemosensors based on the electrodeposition of nanomaterial-enhanced conductive polymers for the detection of pollutant gasses, with finetuning of the detection layer allowing the accurate monitoring of a wide range of gasses.

Developing a sensing layer with high electroactive properties is an important aspect for proper functionality of a wearable sensor. The polymeric nanocomposite material obtained by a simple electropolymerization on gold interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) can be optimized to have suitable conductive properties to be used with direct current (DC) measurements. A new layer based on polyaniline:poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PANI:PSS)/single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)/ferrocene (Fc) was electrosynthesized and deposed on interdigital transducers (IDT) and was characterized in detail using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensor characteristics of the material towards carbon monoxide (CO) in the concentration range of 10–300 ppm were examined, showing a minimal relative humidity interference of only 1% and an increase of sensitivity with the increase of CO concentration. Humidity interference could be controlled by the number of CV cycles when a compact layer was formed and the addition of Fc played an important role in the decrease of humidity. The results for CO detection can be substantially improved by optimizing the number of deposition cycles and enhancing the Fc concentration. The material was developed for selective detection of CO in real environmental conditions and shows good potential for use in a wearable sensor.

The following paper describes the design and functions of a miniaturized integrated platform for optical and electrical monitoring of cell cultures and the necessary steps in the fabrication and testing of a silicon microchip Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS)-based technology for cell data recording, monitoring and stimulation. The silicon microchip consists of a MEMS machined device containing a shank of 240 μm width, 3 mm long and 50 μm thick and an enlarged area of 5 mm × 5 mm hosting the pads for electrical connections. Ten platinum electrodes and five sensors are placed on the shank and are connected with the external electronics through the pads. The sensors aim to monitor the pH, the temperature and the impedance of the cell culture. The electrodes are bidirectional and can be used both for electrical potential recording and stimulation of cells. The fabrication steps are presented, along with the electrical and optical characterization of the system. The target of the research is to develop a new and reconfigurable platform according to the particular applications needs, as a tool for the biologist, chemists and medical doctors working is the field of cell culture monitoring in terms of growth, maintenance conditions, reaction to electrical or chemical stimulation (drugs, toxicants, etc.). HaCaT (Immortalised Human Keratinocyte) cell culture has been used for demonstration purposes in order to provide information on the platform electrical and optical functions.