Quartz crystal microbalance ammonia sensor based on MXene and reduced graphene oxide
ZHOU Lanjuan
NIU Chang
WANG Jiale
ZHANG Dongzhi
Abstract：Objective Food spoilage is a significant cause of food waste.To address this issue,the study designs a quartz crystal microbal-ance(QCM)sensor using a MXene-reduced graphene oxide(MXene-rGO)composite as the sensitive film.This sensor is employed to detect ammonia gas released during food spoilage,facilitating the monitoring of food spoilage levels.
Methods A MXene-rGO solution was synthesized by mixing the prepared MXene solution with rGO.Scanning electron micros-copy(SEM)was employed to characterize the surface morphology of the composite material.Subsequently,a QCM experimen-tal setup was established to systematically investigate the sensor's dynamic response characteristics,linearity,sensitivity,stabil-ity,repeatability,and selectivity toward ammonia gas.Finally,experiments were conducted to validate the sensor's applicabil-ity for food spoilage detection.
Results and Discussion In dynamic response tests,QCM sensors modified with MXene,rGO,and MXene-rGO were sequen-tially exposed to ammonia concentrations of 1×10-6,5×10-6,1×10-5,2×10-5,5×10-5,and 7×10-5,with air used as a reference environment.Among the three,the MXene-rGO modified QCM sensor exhibited the largest frequency shift at all concentra-tions,indicating superior sensing performance.Its frequency responses reached 18.336,59.692,78.36,107.856,252.174,and 343.992 Hz at respective ammonia concentrations.Linear fitting of the sensor output showed that the MXene-rGO modified QCM sensor exhibited the steepest linear regression slope,demonstrating excellent sensitivity.For the repeatability analysis,the MXene-rGO modified QCM sensor was tested for its response characteristics to 2×10-5 ammonia gas under room-temperature conditions.The frequency shift remained consistent across multiple repeated cycles,indicating good repeatability.Long-term stability testing conducted at ammonia concentrations of 1×105,2×10-5,and 5×10-5 over one month further confirmed its excel-lent stability.Overall,the experimental results validate the superior performance of the MXene-rGO modified QCM sensor in ammonia gas sensing applications,highlighting its potential for practical application in food spoilage monitoring systems.
Conclusion This paper presents a novel ammonia gas sensor designed for monitoring food spoilage levels,employing MXene-rGO composite as the sensitive film.The sensor exhibits excellent capability in detecting ammonia gas,with a frequency shift of up to 252.174 Hz at 5×10-5 ammonia.Additionally,it demonstrates good stability and repeatability.These findings highlight its strong practical value,offering a promising sensing technology for detecting gases associated with food spoilage.
Keywords：food spoilagequartz crystal microbalanceammonia gasreduced graphene oxide
Publication Date：2026-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2026-05-22(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 24-32 )