Technology Summary

The present invention allows for producer and consumer information about perishable items by providing for automated readout through radio-frequency identification (RFID) labels and readers at low cost. The technology is a sensor composed of cobalt/antimony (Co/Sb) multilayer films. A single sensor requires only micrograms of material and coupled with the self-assembly of the nanoparticles makes the sensor inexpensive to produce. At ambient temperatures, the electrical resistivity decreases, and this is a thermally activated process that follows Arrhenius kinetics. This Arrhenius decay of the sensor’s resistivity can be matched to the time-temperature decay of a particular food item. Coupling the electronic properties of the sensor within an RFID label allows for automated readout.