Chemical and physical sensing with a reader and RFID tags

• US 10,157,340 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Swager, Timothy Manning, Azzarelli, Joseph Michael, Ravnsbaek, Jens Bomholdt, Mirica, Katherine Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US15/426,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721, 340 81, 3405686, 340 101, 340 104, 340 1041
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/04 by investigating resistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07788 the antenna being of the capacitive type
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

A method of detecting a stimulus can include detecting an output from a radio frequency identification tag including a sensor. A smartphone-based sensing strategy can use chemiresponsive nanomaterials integrated into the circuitry of commercial Near Field Communication tags to achieve non-line-of-sight, portable, and inexpensive detection and discrimination of gas phase chemicals (e.g., ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, cyclohexanone, and water) at part-per-thousand and part-per-million concentrations.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a stimulus comprising detecting an output from a radio frequency device including a sensor portion and nanomaterials integrated into circuitry of the radio frequency device, the sensor portion configured to change a detectable property of the circuitry when the stimulus contacts or interacts with the radio frequency device, whereby the detectable property change alters the output of the radio frequency device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes an aldehyde.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes an ester.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes an alkyl group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes a chemical relevant to occupational safety.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes a mold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes an environmental pollutant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes light.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes a biologically relevant analyte.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus includes molecules found in a biologically-relevant sample.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor material include a sensing material selected from the group consisting of a metal, an organic material, a dielectric material, a semiconductor material, a polymeric material, a biological material, a nanowire, a semiconducting nanoparticle, a nanotube, a nanofiber, a carbon fiber, a carbon particle, carbon paste, or conducting ink, organic electronics materials, doped conjugated polymers, inorganic materials, biological molecule receptors, cells, antibodies, aptamers, nucleic acids, functionalized biological molecules, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor portion includes a transistor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor portion includes electronic components.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor portion includes electronic components, wherein electronic components includes resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor portion is part of a circuit.

16. A tag for detecting a stimulus comprising a radio frequency device including a sensor portion and nanomaterials integrated into the circuitry of the radio frequency device, the sensor portion configured to change a detectable property of the circuitry when the radio frequency device contacts or interacts with the stimulus, whereby the detectable property change alters an output of the radio frequency device, wherein the sensor portion includes a circuit, and wherein the sensor portion is configured to activate the circuit or deactivate the circuit when contacted or having interacted with the stimulus.

17. The tag of claim 16, wherein the sensor portion includes electronic components.

18. The tag of claim 16, wherein the sensor portion includes electronic components, wherein electronic components can include resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, or combinations thereof.

19. A system for detecting a stimulus comprising a radio frequency device including a sensor portion and nanomaterials integrated into the circuitry of the radio frequency device, the sensor portion configured to change a detectable property of the circuitry when the radio frequency device contacts or interacts with the stimulus, whereby the detectable property change alters an output of the radio frequency device, and a detector detecting the output from the radio frequency device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the detector is a reader.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the reader is a hand held reader.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a hand held reader is a smartphone.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the tag becomes readable from unreadable to the detector after the resistivity change.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the tag becomes unreadable from readable to the detector after the resistivity change.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the system includes a dosimeter.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the dosimeter is a radiation dosimeter, a chemical warfare agent dosimeter, a volatile organic compound dosimeter, or an analyte dosimeter.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the system monitors a pollutant or a chemical relevant to occupational safety.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the system includes a plurality of tags.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of tags is capable of detecting at least one stimulus.