Hybridized Tungsten Oxide Nanostructures for Food Quality Assessment: Fabrication and Performance Evaluation

Abstract

Tungsten oxide based micro and nanosized structures possess good capacitance as well as enhanced rate capability. Such properties are useful in various applications including electrochemical supercapacitors. Apart from supercapacitance, WO3 and their 2D integrated structures have been modified using different methods to widen their range of the utility. Modification using layer coating, functionalization with other nanomaterial or molecules are methods that can be used to improve the core structure of WO3. But such modifications often alter electrochemical performance. The effects and outcomes of such modifications incorporated in WO3 structures were studied using electrochemical methods, sensing behavior, and morphological examination. One goal for such modifications was to improve robustness of the WO3 structures apart from any change in supercapacitance performance. After detailed electrochemical analyses of WO3 structures, a preliminary study was performed regarding the feasibility of the WO3 based sensors for food safety applications based on electrochemical detection of hazardous dyes in food. Preliminary results obtained after various electrochemical tests including pulsed voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy suggest the viability of WO3 structures for food safety applications.