Production and characterization of hybrid materials based on graphene/conductive polymer and applications in electronic tongue type chemical sensors

Abstract

Graphene is an allotropic form of carbon recently discovered that owns interesting features as high ratio surface area/volume, high electrical and thermal conductivity, high flexibility and mechanical strength and chemical stability. Its characteristics boost an increasing number of researches on this material and its possible technological applications. One of the possible applications of graphene is a sensitive layer in chemical sensors to detect a variety of chemical and biological analytes. Chemical sensors find applications in various sectors, including agriculture, which demand technological solutions to increase production of food, fiber and energy with mitigation of environmental impacts. The use of chemical sensors helps in optimizing the available resources and can monitor residues released into the environment due to anthropogenic inputs. In this project, we propose the use of graphene associated with polyelectrolytes, conductive polymers and other organic materials to compose different architectures of an electronic tongue in order to modify the responses of their sensory units. The use of chemically modified graphene will aim to study its effect on the sensitivity and detection limit of the sensors in relation to the detection of substances such as commercial pesticides. (AU)