Array of Chemosensitive Resistors with Composites of Gas Chromatography (GC) Materials and Carbon Black for Detection and Recognition of VOCs: A Basic Study

Water-Selective Nanostructured Dehumidifiers for Molecular Sensing Spaces

Humidity and moisture effects, frequently called water poisoning, in surroundings are inevitable for various molecular sensing devices, strongly affecting their sensing characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a water-selective nanostructured dehumidifier composed of ZnO/TiO₂/CaCl₂ core-shell heterostructured nanowires for molecular sensing spaces. The fabricated nanostructured dehumidifier is highly water-selective without detrimental adsorptions of various volatile organic compound molecules and can be repeatedly operated. The thermally controllable and reversible dehydration process of CaCl₂·nH₂O thin nanolayers on hydrophilic ZnO/TiO₂ nanowire surfaces plays a vital role in such water-selective and repeatable dehumidifying operations. Furthermore, the limitation of detection for sensing acetone and nonanal molecules in the presence of moisture (relative humidity ∼ 90%) was improved more than 20 times using nanocomposite sensors by operating the developed nanostructured dehumidifier. Thus, the proposed water-selective nanostructured dehumidifier offers a rational strategy and platform to overcome water poisoning issues for various molecular and gas sensors.

Mechanistic Approach for Long-Term Stability of a Polyethylene Glycol-Carbon Black Nanocomposite Sensor

Polymer-carbon nanocomposite sensor is a promising molecular sensing device for electronic nose (e-nose) due to its printability, variety of polymer materials, and low operation temperature; however, the lack of stability in an air environment has been an inevitable issue. Here, we demonstrate a design concept for realizing long-term stability in a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-carbon black (CB) nanocomposite sensor by understanding the underlying phenomena that cause sensor degradation. Comparison of the sensing properties and infrared spectroscopy on the same device revealed that the oxidation-induced consumption of PEG is a crucial factor for the sensor degradation. According to the mechanism, we introduced an antioxidizing agent (i.e., ascorbic acid) into the PEG-CB nanocomposite sensor to suppress the PEG oxidation and successfully demonstrated the long-term stability of sensing properties under an air environment for 30 days, which had been difficult in conventional polymer-carbon nanocomposite sensors.

Paper-Based Disposable Molecular Sensor Constructed from Oxide Nanowires, Cellulose Nanofibers, and Pencil-Drawn Electrodes

Progress toward the concept of "a trillion sensor universe" requires sensor devices to become more abundant, ubiquitous, and be potentially disposable. Here, we report a paper-based disposable molecular sensor device constructed from a nanowire sensor based on common zinc oxide (ZnO), a wood-derived biodegradable cellulose nanofiber paper substrate, and a low-cost graphite electrode. The ZnO nanowire/cellulose nanofiber composite structure is embedded in the surface of the cellulose nanofiber paper substrate via a two-step papermaking process. This structure provides a mechanically robust and efficiently bridged network for the nanowire sensor, while ensuring efficient access to target molecules and allowing reliable electrical contact with electrodes. The as-fabricated paper sensor device with pencil-drawn graphite electrodes exhibits efficient resistance change-based molecular sensing of NO₂ as a model gas. The performance of our device is comparable to that of noble metal electrodes. Furthermore, we demonstrate cut-and-paste usability and easy disposal of the sensor device with its uniform in-plane sensing properties. Our strategy offers a disposable molecular sensing platform for use in future sensor network technologies.