Paper Substrate-Based Polyaniline Hybrid Sensors for Efficient Room Temperature Ammonia Detection

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Wearable electronics are crucial for real-time monitoring due to advancements in material research.
• Flexible sensors are highly sought after for diverse applications, including healthcare and environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible, room-temperature ammonia sensor.
• To investigate the performance of a reduced graphene oxide-polyaniline (rGO-PANI) composite on a flexible paper substrate.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the rGO-PANI composite via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization on a filter paper substrate.
• Optimization of polymerization time and rGO content for enhanced gas sensing performance.
• Characterization of the sensor's response and recovery times at various ammonia concentrations.

Main Results:

• The rGO-PANI composite sensor demonstrated a maximum response of 93% at 100 ppm ammonia after optimization.
• Optimized polymerization time (6 h) and rGO incorporation significantly improved sensor performance compared to bare PANI@paper.
• Achieved fast response and recovery times of 18 s and 127 s, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible ammonia sensor exhibits high sensitivity, fast response, and low recovery time.
• The sensor's ease of fabrication, low cost, and excellent performance make it suitable for various applications.
• This research contributes to the advancement of wearable gas sensors for real-time monitoring.