Ph.D. candidate from UFSCar receives Bernhard Gross Award for best oral presentation in Symposium M: Materials and Technologies Applied in Sensors for Health, Agricultural, and Environmental at the XXIII B-MRS Meeting.
Rafael Resende Assis Silva, a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering (PPGCEM) at UFSCar, received the Bernhard Gross Award for Best Oral Presentation in Symposium M: Materials and Technologies Applied in Sensors for Health, Agricultural, and Environmental, during the XXIII B-MRS Meeting, held in Salvador (BA) from September 28 to October 2, 2025.
The awarded work, entitled “Sustainable colorimetric–electrochemical ammonia sensor with RFID integration for next-generation smart food packaging”, was developed during his doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Caio Gomide Otoni (PPGCEM-UFSCar) and Dr. Rodrigo Martins (NOVA University of Lisbon), with the collaboration of Dr. Luiz Mattoso from Embrapa Instrumentation (São Carlos-SP).
The research presents the development of a sustainable and flexible volatile ammonia sensor with triple detection (colorimetric, electrochemical, and RFID), capable of operating continuously and self-sustainably, aimed at real-time monitoring of food quality. The sensor uniquely combines visual signal output (color change) and quantitative impedance-based response, using laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes.
The results demonstrate high sensitivity in NH3 detection, with a detection limit of 133 ppm in just 15 minutes, as well as the ability to generate an electrical signal via the triboelectric effect, eliminating the need for external power sources.