Recent Advances in Carbon-Based Sensors for Food and Medical Packaging Under Transit: A Focus on Humidity, Temperature, Mechanical, and Multifunctional Sensing Technologies—A Systematic Review

• DOI: 10.3390/ma18081862
• Publication Date: 2025-04-18T12:24:07Z
• Authors: Siting Guo; Iza Radecka; Ahmed M. Eissa; Evgeni Ivanov; Zlatka Stoeva; Fideline Tchuenbo...

All carbon-based sensors play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of smart packaging while enabling real-time monitoring of parameters such as humidity, temperature, pressure, and strain during transit. This systematic review covers the literature between 2013 and 16 November 2024 in the Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Wiley databases, focusing on carbon-based sensor materials, structural design, and fabrication technologies that contribute to maximizing the sensor performance and scalability with particular emphasis on food and pharmaceutical product packaging applications. After being subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 164 studies were included in this review. The results show that most humidity sensors are made using graphene oxide (GO), though there is some progress toward cellulose and cellulose-based materials. Graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are predominant in temperature and mechanical sensors. The application of composites with structural design (e.g., porous and 3D structures) significantly improves sensitivity, long-term stability, and multifunctionality, whereas manufacturing methods such as spray coating and 3D printing further drive production scalability. The transition from metal to carbon-based electrodes could also reduce the cost. However, the scalability, long-term stability, and real-world validation remain challenges to be addressed. Future research should further enhance the performance and scalability of carbon-based sensors through low-energy fabrication techniques and the development of sustainable advanced materials to provide solutions for practical applications in dynamic transportation environments.