Topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ for highly sensitive, selective and anti-humidity gas sensors

Chemiresistive gas sensors generally surfer from low selectivity, inferior anti-humidity, low response signal or signal-to-noise ratio, severely limiting the precise detection of chemical agents. Herein, we exploit high-performance gas sensors based on topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ that is distinguished from conventional materials by robust metallic surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. In the presence of Se vacancies, Bi₂Se₃ nanosheets exhibit excellent gas sensing capability toward NO₂, with a high response of 93% for 50 ppm and an ultralow theoretical limit of detection concentration about 0.06 ppb at room temperature. Remarkably, Bi₂Se₃ demonstrates ultrahigh anti-humidity interference characteristics, as the response with standard deviation of only 3.63% can be achieved in relative humidity range of 0-80%. These findings are supported by first-principles calculations, with analyses on adsorption energy and charge transfer directly revealing the anti-humidity and selectivity. This work may pave the way for implementation of exotic quantum states for intelligent applications.