Highly sensitive trilayer piezoelectric odor sensor Original Research Article

Highly sensitive piezoelectric sensors employing a novel trilayer sorbent have been developed for the detection of odorants. The gold surfaces of the devices were first coated with a layer of nylon, then a layer of carbon was sputtered onto this membrane. Finally, the substrate was coated with phosphatidylcholine or a synthetic analog. The application of successive coatings produced synergistic effects, resulting in highly sensitive sensors. The optimum thickness of the carbon layer was determined and the absorption characteristics of various lipids were compared. Sensors derivatized with any of the lipids used in this study proved to be more sensitive than the human nose to the five standard odorants used in the T&T Olfactometer test, the standard evaluation method of Japan.