CNR, CSEM, Fraunhofer FEP, Fraunhofer ENAS, VTT (Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Finland)
MOLOKO is an on-site, cost-effective rapid sensor device capable of routine, simplified, sensitive and selective detection of a range of targeted contaminants present in the environment and foods as well as quality parameters. The MOLOKO optical sensor presents maximized characteristics in detection by the exploitation of inherent features of the organic optoelectronic and nanoplasmonic components and ad-hoc designed immunoassay recognition elements which comprise the overall integrated system. MOLOKO will overcome time limitations, simplify and reduce costs of sample collection and transport to laboratories thus providing benefits for rapid diagnostics and early corrective actions to reduce waste & improve quality.
The MOLOKO sensor will present maximized characteristics in detection by the exploitation of inherent features of the organic optoelectronic, plasmonic and immunoassay components comprising the overall system. In particular, thr follewing building blocks are implemented for realizing the prototype of the miniaturized sensor:
- A planar light source comprised by an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) which enables an optics-less light-coupling in a highly integrated detection scheme.
- A biofunctionalized nanostructured plasmonic surface which allows to detect refractive index modulation (and thus analyte binding) at the grating surface opposite to where the probing excitation light is impinging.
- A planar light detector comprised by an organic photodetector (OPD) that is monolithically integrated in the OLED-substrate by multistack sideby- side fabrication geometrically designed in order to increase the sensitivity of the overall sensor.
Target Group
- Dairy industry (farmers)
- Food industry
Attractiveness of the Product
- The monolithic integration of photonic device is chosen because it reduces the number of fabrication steps, the number of nonfunctional layers and the use of out/incoupling optics.
- The nanoplasmonic grating is fabricated by means of the colloidal lithography that is a lower-cost wet technique with respect to traditionally implemented electron beam lithography.
- No use of delicate and expensive prism is required as in mostly-used SPR sensors.
- All these features demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of the production of the optoplsmonic chip at the basis of the functioning of the MOLOKO sensor.
Printed Electronics Components
- Printed OLED
- Printed interconnection
- Organic TFT
- Organic semiconductor
- Printed OPV
Funding Source
European Union’s Horizon 2020
