Cellulose Colorimetric Sensor with UV-Degradable Dyes and Moisture Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing colorimetric sensors face issues of poor stability, low moisture resistance, complex detection processes, and environmental pollution due to non-degradable dyes, making them unsuitable for practical applications in food quality monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A UV-degradable and functionalized cellulose paper-based colorimetric sensor is prepared by loading TiO2 and OTS on cellulose filter paper, creating hydrophilic dye loading regions isolated by a hydrophobic layer, which enhances stability and moisture resistance, and incorporates a TiO2 photocatalytic property for environmental compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional filter paper is used for colorimetric sensors, then the sensor is simple and low cost, but the sensor exhibits poor stability and low moisture resistance due to hydrophilicity
Solution Approach 1:
The filter paper is treated to create localized hydrophobic regions (isolation regions) while maintaining hydrophilic regions for dye loading. This local differentiation allows the sensor to simultaneously achieve moisture resistance in isolation areas and functionality in dye loading areas, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter paper is combined with hydrophobic materials (such as polyethylene oxide or other hydrophobic polymers) to create a composite structure. This composite material exhibits both the original filter paper's simplicity and the added hydrophobic property, enabling improved stability and moisture resistance while maintaining ease of manufacture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If colorimetric dyes are used for sensor construction, then the sensor achieves detection functionality, but environmental pollution is caused by non-degradable dyes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs degradable dyes that can be broken down into harmless substances after performing their detection function. This allows the sensor to achieve detection functionality while eliminating long-term environmental pollution, as the dyes are discarded/degraded rather than persisting in the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the degradability of the dye as a beneficial feature that converts the potential harm of non-degradable dyes into a advantage. The dye is designed to degrade under UV light or other conditions, transforming from a persistent pollutant into a temporary functional element that eliminates environmental harm after use.
3Productivity
If strong capillary forces are present in colorimetric units, then solution diffusion is enhanced, but mutual interference among sensing units occurs and fabrication stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The filter paper is divided into distinct functional regions: hydrophilic dye loading regions and hydrophobic isolation regions. This segmentation prevents capillary forces from propagating between adjacent sensing units, eliminating mutual interference while maintaining solution diffusion efficiency within each isolated unit and improving fabrication stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrophobic isolation region acts as an intermediary barrier between adjacent colorimetric units. This intermediary structure modulates the capillary forces, allowing solution diffusion to occur within each unit while preventing excessive capillary action from causing mutual interference between units, thus improving fabrication stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor provides improved stability, moisture resistance, and environmental compatibility by photocatalytic degradation of dyes under UV light, enabling rapid and cost-effective food quality evaluation using an LSTM recurrent neural network model.
Implementation Method 1
the dye on the colorimetric sensor can be degraded merely by ultraviolet irradiation
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the secondarily-treated filter paper to hydrolysis in deionized water to obtain the TiO2-loaded cellulose filter paper
Implementation Method 3
the large-area hydrophobic region can effectively prevent the filter paper from absorbing moisture from the environment
Implementation Method 4
strong capillary forces between colorimetric units cause uneven diffusion of solutions
Implementation Method 5
subjecting the secondarily-treated filter paper to hydrolysis in deionized water to obtain the TiO2-loaded cellulose filter paper
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preparing an ultraviolet (UV)-degradable and functionalized cellulose paper-based colorimetric sensor, in which a TiO2-loaded cellulose filter paper is prepared, from which a TiO2/OTS-loaded functionalized cellulose filter paper is prepared; and the TiO2/OTS-loaded functionalized cellulose filter paper is combined with colorimetric materials to obtain the UV-degradable and functionalized cellulose paper-based colorimetric sensor with multiple hydrophilic dye-loading regions and a hydrophobic isolation region. This application further provides a food quality evaluation method, in which a food quality evaluation model is established based on the UV-degradable and functionalized cellulose paper-based colorimetric sensor.