Objective and reliable post‑mortem meat inspection is a key factor in ensuring adequate assessment and quality control of meat intended for human consumption. Early identification of issues that may impact public health and animal health and welfare, such as the presence of chemical contaminants in meat, is critical. In this study, we propose a novel method to modernize meat inspection using an electronic nose combined with machine learning (ML), with focus on pig meat as a case study. We explored its potential as a complementary tool to traditional sensory evaluation and analytical methods, aiming to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of current inspections. We employed a metal‑oxide based gas sensor array of commercially available chemoresistive sensors, functioning as an electronic nose, to differentiate between various categories of 100 pig meat samples collected at a slaughterhouse based on their odor characteristics, including a urine‑like smell and post‑mortem aging. Using the Optimizable Ensemble model, we achieved a sensitivity of 96.5% and specificity of 95.3% in categorizing fresh and urine‑contaminated meat samples. The model demonstrated robust predictive performance with a Kappa value of approximately 0.926, indicating near‑perfect agreement between the predictions and actual classifications. Furthermore, our developed ML model demonstrated the ability to distinguish between nominally fresh pig meat and meat aged for one to two additional days with an accuracy of 93.5% and can also correctly identify meat aged 3–31 days or 17–31 days. Based on the consensus of preliminary decisions from each individual sensor element, the algorithm effectively determined the final status of the meat. This research lays the groundwork for practical applications within the meat inspection process in slaughterhouses and as quality assurance throughout the meat supply chain. As we continue to refine and validate this method, its potential for real‑world implementation becomes increasingly evident.

Minimum energy configurations in 2D material-based heterostructures can enable interactions with external chemical species that are not observable for their monolithic counterparts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the binding energy of divalent toxic metal ions of Cd, Pb, and Hg on graphene-gold heterointerfaces is negative, in contrast to the positive value associated with free-standing graphene. The theoretical predictions are confirmed experimentally by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, where a strong binding affinity is measured for all the heavy metal ions in water. The results indicate the formation of a film of heavy metal ions on the graphene-gold (Gr/Au) heterointerfaces, where the adsorption of the ions follows a Langmuir isotherm model. The highest thermodynamic affinity constant K = 3.1 x 10(7) L mol(-1) is observed for Hg2+@Gr/Au heterostructures, compared to 1.1 x 10(7) L mol(-1) and 8.5 x 10(6) L mol(-1) for Pb2+@Gr/Au and Cd2+@Gr/Au, respectively. In the case of Hg2+ ions, it was observed a sensitivity of about 0.01 degrees/ppb and a detection limit of 0.7 ppb (similar to 3 nmol L-1). The combined X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and SPR analysis suggests a permanent interaction of all of the HMIs with the Gr/Au heterointerfaces. The correlation between the theoretical and experimental results indicates that the electron transfer from the graphene-gold heterostructures to the heavy metal ions is the key for correct interpretation of the enhanced sensitivity of the SPR sensors in water.

In this work, we present the results of measurements of the Raman spectrum of the root 3x root 3R30 degrees reconstruction of graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001), the so-called buffer layer. The extracted Raman spectrum of the buffer layer shows bands, different from those of graphene, which can be attributed to the interaction of the buffer layer with the SiC substrate. In particular, in the high-wavenumber region, at least three bands are observed in the wavenumber regions 1,350-1,420, 1,470-1,490 and 1,520-1,570 cm-1. The assignment of the buffer layer bands is supported here by tight-binding simulations of the one-phonon density of states for structures with a sufficiently large number of Si-C bilayers for reaching convergence. The converged phonon density of states is found to be in semi-quantitative agreement with the latter two bands, and therefore, the tight-binding predictions of the lattice dynamics of the structure can be used for their assignment to buffer layer vibrations. Namely, the Raman band at about 1,550 cm-1 can be assigned to modified in-plane optical phonon branches of graphene, while the Raman band at about 1,490 cm-1 can be assigned to modified folded parts of these branches inside the Brillouin zone of the buffer layer and can be considered as a Raman fingerprint of the buffer layer. We present the results of measurements of the Raman spectrum of the root 3x root 3R30 degrees reconstruction of graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001), the so-called buffer layer (BL) in the wavenumber region 1,200-1,650 cm-1. The assignment of the BL bands is supported by tight-binding simulations of the one-phonon density of states (DOS) for structures with a sufficiently large number of Si-C bilayers for reaching convergence. The converged phonon DOS is found to be in semi-quantitative agreement with the experimental Raman spectra.image

We present a detailed investigation on the effects of water diffusion at the different interfaces of gold-graphene plasmonic sensors on the propagation of the supported surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The substrate/metal interfacial chemical reactions are investigated by monitoring the full width at half-maximum of the SPR reflectivity curve. Although protection by single-layer graphene (SLG) grown by chemical vapor deposition inhibits the chemical reactions happening at the metal-dielectric interfaces, SPR experimental results confirm that water diffusion paths through the borders of graphene domains are still present into the plasmonic sensors. Density functional theory calculations show that the doping level of SLG after the transfer on gold as well as interfacial charge transfer can be tuned in the presence of water molecules. On these bases, we propose a simplified effective medium approach for heterogeneous metal-carbon interfaces, where the interaction between the surface atomic layers of the gold thin film, water molecules, and the SLG induces the creation of an extended charge density difference region crossing the Au/H2O/SLG/H2O heterointerface. The latter is modeled as an ultrathin effective medium with a thickness and extraordinary optical susceptivity and conductivity that are different from those of the free-standing graphene. In this context, the extraordinary refractive index and thickness of the graphene-gold effective medium are measured in the near-infrared on the low-damping SPR platforms by applying the two-medium SPR method. The results are coherent with graphene n-doping in water environment, showing that the optically excited electrons along the extraordinary axis have a substantial bonding character and that the enhancement of the sensitivity of the gold-graphene plasmonic sensors is not related to a shift in the plasma frequency of the metal layer but to the changes in the extraordinary polarizability of graphene. The research highlights the importance of the SLG-substrate and SLG-environment interactions in graphene-protected plasmonics and optoelectronics.

Two-dimensional materials may constitute key elements in the development of a sensing platform where extremely high sensitivity is required, since even minimal chemical interaction can generate appreciable changes in the electronic state of the material. In this work, we investigate the sensing performance of epitaxial graphene on Si-face 4H-SiC (EG/SiC) for liquid-phase detection of heavy metals (e.g., Pb). The integration of preparatory steps needed for sample conditioning is included in the sensing platform, exploiting fast prototyping using a 3D printer, which allows direct fabrication of a microfluidic chip incorporating all the features required to connect and execute the Lab-on-chip (LOC) functions. It is demonstrated that interaction of Pb²⁺ ions in water-based solutions with the EG enhances its conductivity exhibiting a Langmuir correlation between signal and Pb²⁺ concentration. Several concentrations of Pb²⁺ solutions ranging from 125 nM to 500 µM were analyzed showing good stability and reproducibility over time.

Here, we report the electrochemical deposition of lead (Pb) as a model metal on epitaxial graphene fabricated on silicon carbide (Gr/SiC). The kinetics of electrodeposition and morphological characteristics of the deposits were evaluated by complementary electrochemical, physical and computational methods. The use of Gr/SiC as an electrode allowed the tracking of lead-associated redox conversions. The analysis of current transients passed during the deposition revealed an instantaneous nucleation mechanism controlled by convergent mass transport on the nuclei locally randomly distributed on epitaxial graphene. This key observation of the deposit topology was confirmed by low values of the experimentally-estimated apparent diffusion coefficient, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. First principles calculations showed that the nucleation of Pb clusters on the graphene surface leads to weakening of the interaction strength of the metal-graphene complex, and only spatially separated Pb adatoms adsorbed on bridge and/or edge-plane sites can affect the vibrational properties of graphene. We expect that the lead adatoms can merge in large metallic clusters only at defect sites that reinforce the metal-graphene interactions. Our findings provide valuable insights into both heavy metal ion electrochemical analysis and metal electroplating on graphene interfaces that are important for designing effective detectors of toxic heavy metals.

The discovery of graphene and its unique properties has inspired researchers to try to invent other two-dimensional (2D) materials. After considerable research effort, a distinct "beyond graphene" domain has been established, comprising the library of non-graphene 2D materials. It is significant that some 2D non-graphene materials possess solid advantages over their predecessor, such as having a direct band gap, and therefore are highly promising for a number of applications. These applications are not limited to nano- and opto-electronics, but have a strong potential in biosensing technologies, as one example. However, since most of the 2D non-graphene materials have been newly discovered, most of the research efforts are concentrated on material synthesis and the investigation of the properties of the material. Applications of 2D non-graphene materials are still at the embryonic stage, and the integration of 2D non-graphene materials into devices is scarcely reported. However, in recent years, numerous reports have blossomed about 2D material-based biosensors, evidencing the growing potential of 2D non-graphene materials for biosensing applications. This review highlights the recent progress in research on the potential of using 2D non-graphene materials and similar oxide nanostructures for different types of biosensors (optical and electrochemical). A wide range of biological targets, such as glucose, dopamine, cortisol, DNA, IgG, bisphenol, ascorbic acid, cytochrome and estradiol, has been reported to be successfully detected by biosensors with transducers made of 2D non-graphene materials.

Being a true two-dimensional crystal, graphene possesses a lot of exotic properties that would enable unique applications. Integration of graphene with inorganic semiconductors, e.g. silicon carbide (SiC) promotes the birth of a class of hybrid materials which are highly promising for development of novel operations, since they combine the best properties of two counterparts in the frame of one hybrid platform. As a specific heterostructure, graphene on SiC performs strongly, dependent on the synthesis method and the growth modes. In this article, a comprehensive review of the most relevant studies of graphene growth methods and mechanisms on SiC substrates has been carried out. The aim is to elucidate the basic physical processes that are responsible for the formation of graphene on SiC. First, an introduction is made covering some intriguing and not so often discussed properties of graphene. Then, we focus on integration of graphene with SiC, which is facilitated by the nature of SiC to assume graphitization. Concerning the synthesis methods, we discuss thermal decomposition of SiC, chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy, stressing that the first technique is the most common one when SiC substrates are used. In addition, we briefly appraise graphene synthesis via metal mediated carbon segregation. We address in detail the main aspects of the substrate effect, such as substrate face polarity, off-cut, kind of polytype and nonpolar surfaces on the growth of graphene layers. A comparison of graphene grown on the polar faces is made. In particular, growth of graphene on Si-face SiC is critically analyzed concerning growth kinetics and growth mechanisms taking into account the specific characteristics of SiC (0001) surfaces, such as the step-terrace structure and the unavoidable surface reconstruction upon heating. In all subtopics obstacles and solutions are featured. We complete the review with a short summary and concluding remarks.

The development of optoelectronic devices based on highly-promising Zn1 - xCdxO semiconductor system demands deep understanding of the properties of the Zn1 - xCdxO-based quantum wells (QWs). In this regard, we carried out a numerical study of the polarization-related effects in polar, semi-polar and non-polar ZnO/ Zn1 - xCd xO/ZnO QWs with different parameters of the quantum well structure. The effects of well width, barrier thickness, cadmium content in the active layer and c-axis inclination angle on the distribution of the electron and hole wave function and transition energy were investigated using the 6 x 6 k center dot p Hamiltonian and one-dimensional self-consistent solutions of nonlinear Schrodinger-Poisson equations with consideration of spatially varying dielectric constant and effective mass. The strong sensitivity of the internal electric field, transition energy and overlap integral to cadmium content and well thickness in the angle range from 0 to 40 degrees was revealed. An unexpected change of the internal electric fields sign was observed at the angles ranging from 70 to 90 degrees. We also found a difference in the electronic properties between (0001)-, (11 (2) over bar2)-and (10 (1) over bar0)-oriented QWs.

We report on the application of a single layer graphene substrates for the growth of polycrystalline ZnO films with advanced light emission properties. Unusually high ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) photoluminesce was observed from the ZnO/Gr/SiC structures in comparison to identical samples without graphene. The photoluminescence intensity depends non-monotonically on the films thickness, reaching its maximum for 150 nm thick films. The phenomena observed is explained as due to the dual graphene role: i) the dangling bond free substrate, providing growth of relaxed thin ZnO layers ii) a back reflector active mirror of the Fabry-Perot cavity that is formed. The reported results demonstrate the potential of two-dimensional carbon materials integration with light emitting wide band gap semiconductors and can be of practical importance for the design of future optoelectronic devices.