Four types of metal oxide semiconductor gas sensor arrays were used to observe the aroma and spoilage odor emitted during the ripening process of plum & banana fruits. All gas sensors showed a high correlation (R=0.82~0.90) with the olfactory. The TGS 2603 sensor showed a high correlation of 0.90 between the odor generated and sensory perception of smell in the process of ripening and decaying fruits. In addition, it showed a very high correlation of 0.91 with the decay rate of the plum sample, and the significance probability through one-way ANOVA was also less than 0.05, which confirmed it as an optimal gas sensor (TGS 2603). Principal component analysis was performed using all the data. The cumulative variability was 99.54%, which could be explained only by two principal components, and the first principal component was 95.11%, which was related to the freshness of the fruit. It was analyzed as fresh fruit in the negative(-) direction and decayed fruit in the positive(+) direction.
Urchin-structured zinc oxide(ZnO) nanorod(NR) gas sensors were successfully demonstrated on a polyimide(PI) substrate, using single wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) as the electrode. The ZnO NRs were grown with ZnO shells arranged at regular intervals to form a network structure with maximized surface area. The high surface area and numerous junctions of the NR network structure was the key to excellent gas sensing performance. Moreover, the SWCNTs formed a junction barrier with the ZnO which further improved sensor characteristics. The fabricated urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors exhibited superior performance upon NO2 exposure with a stable response of 110, fast rise and decay times of 38 and 24 sec, respectively. Comparative analyses revealed that the high performance of the sensors was due to a combination of high surface area, numerous active junction points, and the use of the SWCNTs electrode. Furthermore, the urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors showed sustainable mechanical stability. Although degradation of the devices progressed during repeated flexibility tests, the sensors were still operational even after 10000 cycles of a bending test with a radius of curvature of 5 mm.