플라즈모닉 메타표면을 이용한 맛 분자 현장 검출

Abstract

Taste not only provides nutritional information about food but also serves as a warning for potential toxicity, highlighting the importance of sensors capable of preemptive taste detection. Here, we develop a 'binding-free' and in-situ taste sensing method using plasmonics. This involves a wafer-scale plasmonic metasurface made by an array of gold nanoparticles sitting on a metallic mirror. This metasurface can detect refractive indices and surface tensions of an array of taste droplets just above it, enabling immediate visualization and differentiation of the five fundamental tastes, along with additional flavors like spicy and alcoholic tastes. This innovative and quick method of taste sensing holds the promise of creating a user-friendly, portable taste-sensing platform.