Ethylene is a hormone that plays a critical role in many phases of plant growth and fruit ripening. Currently, detection of ethylene heavily relies on sophisticated and time-consuming conventional assays such as chromatography, spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. Herein, we develop a polydiacetylene-based sensor for the detection of ethylene via color change. The sensors are prepared through the reaction between polydiacetylene and Lawesson’s reagent that results in decorating polydiacetylene with terminal thiol groups. Upon exposure to ethylene, the sensor changes color from blue to red which is visible to the naked eye. Our device shows a limit of detection for ethylene at 600 ppm in air and can be applied for monitoring ethylene released during the fruit-ripening process. Such easy-to-use ethylene sensors may find applications in plant biology, agriculture, and food industry.

中文翻译：

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使用硫醇官能化的基于聚二乙炔的柔性传感器对乙烯进行裸眼检测。

乙烯是一种激素，在植物生长和果实成熟的许多阶段都起着至关重要的作用。当前，乙烯的检测严重依赖于复杂且费时的常规测定，例如色谱法，光谱法和电化学方法。在这里，我们开发了一种基于聚二乙炔的传感器，用于通过颜色变化检测乙烯。传感器是通过聚二乙炔与Lawesson试剂之间的反应制备的，该反应导致用末端硫醇基修饰聚二乙炔。暴露于乙烯后，传感器的颜色从蓝色变为红色（肉眼可见）。我们的设备显示出空气中600 ppm的乙烯检测极限，可用于监测果实成熟过程中释放的乙烯。