Inkjet-printed paper-based RFID and nanotechnology-based ultrasensitive sensors: The "green" ultimate solution for an ever improving life quality and safety

Abstract

The paper introduces the integration of conformal paper-based RFID's with a Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SW-CNT) composite for the development of a chipless RFID-enabled wireless sensor node for toxic gas detection and breathing-gas-content estimation. The electrical performance of the inkjet-printed SWCNT-based ultra-sensitive sensor if reported up to 1GHz. The whole module is realized by inkjet-printing on a low-cost "green" paper-based substrate designed to operate in the European UHF RFID band. The electrical conductivity of the SWCNT film changes in the presence of ultra-small quantities of gases like ammonia and nitrogen dioxide, resulting in the variation of the backscattered power level which can be easily detected by the RFID reader to realize reliable early-warning toxic gas detection or breathing monitoring with potentially profound effects on ubiquitous low-cost "green" quality-of-life applications. © 2010 Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.