Portable and wireless signal transducer for field testing of environmental sensors based on 2D materials

In this paper we present the design and fabrication of a portable device for environmental monitoring applications. This novel hand-held apparatus monitors the changes in the resistance of a sensing surface with a high accuracy and resolution and transmits the recorded data wirelessly to a cellphone. Such a design offers a solution for field testing of environmental sensors. The tested sensing surface in this study is based on an ultrathin material: graphene, which is placed on the surface of a Si/SiO2 wafer. This signal transducer and wireless communication system form together an ideal platform to harvest the sensitivity and selectivity of 2D materials for gas sensing applications.