The fast and non-invasive detection of odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by gas sensors and electronic noses is a growing field of interest, mostly due to a large scope of potential applications. Additional drivers for the expansion of the field include the development of alternative and sustainable sensing materials. The discovery that isolated cross-linked polymeric structures of suberin spontaneously self-assemble as a film inspired us to develop new sensing composite materials consisting of suberin and a liquid crystal (LC). Due to their stimuli-responsive and optically active nature, liquid crystals are interesting probes in gas sensing. Herein, we report the isolation and the chemical characterization of two suberin types (from cork and from potato peels) resorting to analyses of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The collected data highlighted their compositional and structural differences. Cork suberin showed a higher proportion of longer aliphatic constituents and is more esterified than potato suberin. Accordingly, when casted it formed films with larger surface irregularities and a higher C/O ratio. When either type of suberin was combined with the liquid crystal 5CB, the ensuing hybrid materials showed distinctive morphological and sensing properties towards a set of 12 VOCs (comprising heptane, hexane, chloroform, toluene, dichlormethane, diethylether, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and acetic acid). The optical responses generated by the materials are reversible and reproducible, showing stability for 3 weeks. The individual VOC-sensing responses of the two hybrid materials are discussed taking as basis the chemistry of each suberin type. A support vector machines (SVM) algorithm based on the features of the optical responses was implemented to assess the VOC identification ability of the materials, revealing that the two distinct suberin-based sensors complement each other, since they selectively identify distinct VOCs or VOC groups. It is expected that such new environmentally-friendly gas sensing materials derived from natural diversity can be combined in arrays to enlarge selectivity and sensing capacity.

通过气体传感器和电子鼻对气味和挥发性有机化合物 (VOC) 进行快速和非侵入式检测是一个越来越受关注的领域，主要是由于其具有广泛的潜在应用。该领域扩展的其他驱动因素包括替代和可持续传感材料的开发。孤立的木栓质交联聚合物结构作为薄膜自发自组装的发现启发我们开发由木栓质和液晶 (LC) 组成的新型传感复合材料。由于它们的刺激响应和光学活性，液晶是气体传感中有趣的探针。在这里，我们利用气相色谱-质谱 (GC-MS) 分析报告了两种软木类型（来自软木和来自马铃薯皮）的分离和化学表征，溶液核磁共振 (NMR) 和 X 射线光电子能谱 (XPS)。收集的数据突出了它们的组成和结构差异。软木木栓质显示出更高比例的较长脂肪族成分，并且比马铃薯木栓质更酯化。因此，当浇铸时，它形成了具有较大表面不规则性和较高C/O比的膜。当任一类型的木栓质与液晶 5CB 结合时，随后的混合材料对一组 12 种 VOC（包括庚烷、己烷、氯仿、甲苯、二氯甲烷、乙醚、乙酸乙酯、乙腈、丙酮、乙醇、甲醇和乙酸）。材料产生的光学响应是可逆和可重复的，在 3 周内表现出稳定性。以每种木栓质类型的化学性质为基础，讨论了两种杂化材料的单独 VOC 感应响应。实施了基于光学响应特征的支持向量机 (SVM) 算法来评估材料的 VOC 识别能力，揭示了两种不同的基于 suberin 的传感器相互补充，因为它们选择性地识别不同的 VOC 或 VOC 组. 预计这种源自自然多样性的新型环保气体传感材料可以组合成阵列以扩大选择性和传感能力。实施了基于光学响应特征的支持向量机 (SVM) 算法来评估材料的 VOC 识别能力，揭示了两种不同的基于 suberin 的传感器相互补充，因为它们选择性地识别不同的 VOC 或 VOC 组. 预计这种源自自然多样性的新型环保气体传感材料可以组合成阵列以扩大选择性和传感能力。实施了基于光学响应特征的支持向量机 (SVM) 算法来评估材料的 VOC 识别能力，揭示了两种不同的基于 suberin 的传感器相互补充，因为它们选择性地识别不同的 VOC 或 VOC 组. 预计这种源自自然多样性的新型环保气体传感材料可以组合成阵列以扩大选择性和传感能力。