Self-Powered Flexible Sour Sensor for Detecting Ascorbic Acid Concentration Based on Triboelectrification/Enzymatic-Reaction Coupling Effect

• Main Authors: Tianming Zhao, Qi Wang, An Du
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: ascorbic acid detection; self-powered; sour sensor; triboelectrification/enzymatic-reaction coupling effect
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/2/373

Artificial sensory substitution systems can mimic human sensory organs through replacing the sensing process of a defective sensory receptor and transmitting the sensing signal into the nervous system. Here, we report a self-powered flexible gustation sour sensor for detecting ascorbic acid concentration. The material system comprises of Na₂C₂O₄-Ppy with AAO modification, PDMS and Cu wire mesh. The working mechanism is contributed to the triboelectrification/enzymatic-reaction coupling effect, and the device can collect weak energy from body movements and directly output triboelectric current without any external power-units. The triboelectric output is affected by AA concentration, and the response is up to 34.82% against 15.625 mM/L of AA solution. Furthermore, a practical application in detecting ascorbic acid concentration of different drinks has been demonstrated. This work can encourage the development of wearable flexible electronics and this self-powered sour sensor has the potential that can be acted as a kind of gustatory receptors to build electronic tongues.