Optical Sensor of Flavonoids Based on Liquid Crystal

Abstract

In order to solve the problems associated with the express registration of the presence of biologically active substances in callus biomass, we propose the use of cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) with a spiral structure as a material of a sensitive element of optical sensor of flavonoids. Cholesteric liquid crystal BLO62 is proposed to use as a sensitive element. Spectral characteristics of alcohol solutions of flavonoids (20%, 40%, 70% and 90%) were obtained. The interaction of CLC with quercetin was analyzed. The scheme of the primary information signal converter is developed in which the current from the photodetector is transmitted to the developed signal converter. The device is implemented with the common use Atmega 328 microcontroller manufactured by Atmel. Speciality of this structural scheme is its flexibility and versatility, which makes it easy to reconfigure the parameters of the firmware for the registration of various types of investigated mediums.