A Novel Fluid Classification Unit Based on Moisture Electricity Generation Mechanism

Automated of gas and liquid classification technologies are of great in multiple fields including food production and human healthcare. Of these, fruit juice contains water, organic acids, minerals and other nutrients which offers a pleasant taste and promotes healthy condition. However, the main challenges faced by conventional components sensing technologies for juice classification are limited to the complexity of experimental preparation, bulky instrument, high consumption and susceptibility to contamination. Moisture Electricity Generation (MEG) technology has made it feasible to acquire energy from trace amounts of water or environmental humidity. This work proposes a novel sensing unit based on MEG technology. The unit mainly comprises non-woven fabric, hydroxylated carbon nanotubes, polyvinyl alcohol, a solution of sea salt and liquid alloy. By this approach, humid air (relative humidity 60%), pure water and juices from three fruits (lemon, kiwifruit, and clementine) have been successfully classified in 15 seconds. The classification accuracy can reach 90%. Electrical signals standard lines highlight the specific response between samples. The relative standard deviation of stable output section is 1.6% and the root-mean-square error between test data and the standard curve is less than 0.08, which indicates the stability, accuracy are fine. Besides, the sensing unit demonstrates an acceptable reusability. The presented approach may provide opportunities to improve sensing paradigms in industrial and medical settings.