Tungsten Disulfide Nanotube-Modified Conductive Paper-Based Chemiresistive Sensor for the Application in Volatile
Song-Jeng Huang1, Philip Nathaniel Immanuel1, Yi-Kuang Yen2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a flexible, low-cost chemiresistor using tungsten disulfide nanotubes on conductive paper for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sensor shows high sensitivity to butanol gas at room temperature, offering a promising solution for atmospheric monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pose health risks due to atmospheric release from daily activities and waste.
- Effective monitoring of toxic VOC concentrations is crucial for public health and environmental safety.
- Existing VOC sensors often lack sensitivity, flexibility, or cost-effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize a novel paper-based chemiresistor for sensitive VOC gas detection.
- To evaluate the performance of tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanotubes as a sensing material.
- To assess the sensor's feasibility, sensitivity, and limit of detection for various VOCs at room temperature.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized WS2 nanotubes via oxide reduction and sulfurization at 900°C.
- Fabricated a graphene-PEDOT:PSS conductive paper substrate using a continuous coating process.
- Developed WS2 nanotube-modified paper-based chemiresistors by drop-casting nanotubes onto the conductive substrate.
- Tested sensor performance against four VOC gases at varying concentrations at room temperature.
Main Results:
- WS2 nanotubes exhibited diameters of 206-267 nm and lengths of 4.5-8 µm.
- The fabricated chemiresistor demonstrated enhanced sensitivity to butanol gas within a 50-1000 ppm concentration range.
- Achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 44.92 ppm for butanol gas.
- The sensor operated effectively at room temperature.
Conclusions:
- The WS2 nanotube-modified paper-based chemiresistor is a highly sensitive and selective VOC sensor.
- The sensor offers advantages such as flexibility, ease of fabrication, and low cost.
- This technology holds significant potential for practical atmospheric VOC monitoring applications.
