Early monitoring of food spoilage using UV-enhanced Cu3N-Ag nanostructured electrodes

Early monitoring of food spoilage using UV-enhanced Cu3N-Ag nanostructured electrodes Full article

Journal

Chemical Engineering Journal
ISSN: 1873-3212 , E-ISSN: 1385-8947

Output data

Year: 2025, Volume: 521, Article number : 166394, Pages count : 11 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.166394

Tags

Chemiresistive sensors, Gas sensors, Ammonia, Derivatives of Cu3N, UV activated sensor, DFT calculations

Authors

Dasgupta Uddipan ¹ , Ghosh Malabika ¹ , Gangopadhyay Rupali ² , Klyamer Darya D. ³ , Venkatesan Prashanth ⁴ , Basova Tamara ³ , Doong Ruey-An ⁴ , Chowdhury Ankan Dutta ¹

Affiliations

1	Amity Institute of Nanotechnology, Amity University Kolkata
2	Department of Chemistry, Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata
3	Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry SB RAS
4	Institute of Analytical and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University

Food spoilage in perishable, protein-rich products is a significant challenge for the food storage industry. This work introduces a UV-enhanced chemiresistive sensor, based on a polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite functionalised with copper nitride‑silver (Cu3N-Ag) nanoparticles, for the rapid and selective detection of ammonia (NH3). Under 365 nm UV illumination, the sensor exhibits a 4.7-fold sensitivity enhancement, achieving a linear response (R2 = 0.99) from 5 to 200 ppm NH3 with a detection limit of 1.03 ppm. A key finding is the intrinsically fast kinetics of the sensor, with a response time of approximately 30s and a recovery time of 50s. This suggests the enhancement mechanism is primarily a sensitivity amplification driven by electron-hole separation. The sensor demonstrated high selectivity against common interferents. Its operational principles, particularly the favourable electronic properties of the Ag-doped nanostructure, were further elucidated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Real-world validation successfully monitored NH3 emissions from spoiling mutton and fish within 3–5 h. By providing a unique combination of rapid response and UV-tuneable sensitivity, supported by theoretical modelling, this technology holds significant potential for monitoring food wastage and for detecting NH3 overexpression related to conditions like kidney or liver disease.

Dasgupta U. , Ghosh M. , Gangopadhyay R. , Klyamer D.D. , Venkatesan P. , Basova T. , Doong R-A. , Chowdhury A.D.
Early monitoring of food spoilage using UV-enhanced Cu3N-Ag nanostructured electrodes
Chemical Engineering Journal. 2025. V.521. 166394 :1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.166394

Published print:

Oct 1, 2025

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