Selective Toluene Detection with Mo₂CT MXene at Room Temperature.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Sensing

Background:

• Two-dimensional materials called MXenes offer potential in diverse applications like energy storage and sensors.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pose environmental and health risks, necessitating effective detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel Mo₂CT MXene-based chemiresistive sensor for VOC detection.
• To investigate the influence of MXene processing on sensor performance and selectivity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a chemiresistive sensor on a Si/SiO₂ substrate using photolithography.
• Testing sensor response to various VOCs (toluene, benzene, ethanol, methanol, acetone) at room temperature.
• Utilizing ab initio simulations to understand the selectivity mechanism.

Main Results:

• The Mo₂CT MXene sensor achieved a detection limit of 220 ppb for toluene.
• Optimized sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.0366 Ω/ppm for toluene at 140 ppm.
• The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity towards toluene over other tested VOCs.

Conclusions:

• The developed Mo₂CT MXene sensor is effective for detecting VOCs, particularly toluene.
• Experimental and simulation results confirm the sensor's high selectivity for toluene.
• This work highlights the potential of MXene-based materials in advanced chemical sensing applications.