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In this study, we propose an array-type gas sensor with high selectivity and response using multiple oxide semiconductors. The sensor array was composed of SnO2 and In2O3, and the detection characteristics were improved by using Pt, Au, and Pd catalysts. All samples were deposited directly on the Pt interdigitated electrode (IDE) through the e-beam evaporator glancing angle deposition (GAD) method. They grew in the form of well-aligned nanorods at off-axis angles. The prepared SnO2 and In2O3 nanorod samples were exposed to CH3COCH3, C7H8, and NO2 gases in a 300℃ dry condition. Au-decorated SnO2, Au-decorated In2O3, and Pd-decorated In2O3 exhibited high selectivity for CH3COCH3, C7H8, and NO2, respectively. They demonstrated a high detection limit of the sub ppb level computationally. In addition, measurements from each sensor were executed in the 40% relative humidity condition. Although there was a slight reduction in detection response, high selectivity and distinguishable detection characteristics were confirmed

Gas sensors that operate at room temperature have been extensively studied because of sensor stability, lift time, and power consumption. To design effective room-temperature gas sensors, various nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanodomes, or nanofibers, are utilized because of their large-surface-to-volume ratio and unique surface properties. In addition, two-dimensional materials, including MoS2, SnS2, WS2, and MoSe, and ultraviolet-activated methods have been studied to develop ideal room-temperature gas sensors. Herein, a brief overview of state-of-the-art research on room-temperature gas sensors and their sensing properties, including nanostructured materials, two-dimensional materials, the ultraviolet-activated method, and ionic-activated gas sensors, is provided.

The breath gas analysis through gas phase chemical analysis draws attention in terms of non-invasive and real time monitoring. The array-type sensors are one of the diagnostic methods with high sensitivity and selectivity towards the target gases. Herein, we presented a 2 × 4 sensor array with a micro-heater and ceramic chip. The device is designed in a small size for portability, including the internal eight-channel sensor array. In2O3 NRs and WO3 NRs manufactured through the E-beam evaporator’s glancing angle method were used as sensing materials. Pt, Pd, and Au metal catalysts were decorated for each channel to enhance functionality. The sensor array was measured for the exhaled gas biomarkers CH3COCH3, NO2, and H2S to confirm the respiratory diagnostic performance. Through this operation, the theoretical detection limit was calculated as 1.48 ppb for CH3COCH3, 1.9 ppt for NO2, and 2.47 ppb for H2S. This excellent detection performance indicates that our sensor array detected the CH3COCH3, NO2, and H2S as biomarkers, applying to the breath gas analysis. Our results showed the high potential of the gas sensor array as a non-invasive diagnostic tool that enables real-time monitoring.

Semiconducting gas sensors that operated at room-temperature (around 25 °C) have been studied to monitor target gases. Furthermore, a self-powered gas sensor with no reliance on a battery or external power source was highly demanded to effectively reduce the power consumption and apply for practical environments. In this study, we designed the self-powered gas sensors by connecting ionic-activated semiconducting sensors, a promising candidate for room-temperature operation, with an oval-shaped piezoelectric generator, and light-emitting diode alarm. The effect of the divided voltage from the energy generator to the sensor on the sensing performance was analyzed. The self-powered sensor has an extremely low detection limit (4.32 ppb NO2) with rapid and constant recovery (6 s) regardless of the NO2 concentration. Additionally, the practical applicability was confirmed by the light-emitting diode alarms according to the NO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

The development of high performance gas sensors that operate at room temperature has attracted considerable attention. Unfortunately, the conventional mechanism of chemiresistive sensors is restricted at room temperature by insufficient reaction energy with target molecules. Herein, novel strategy for room temperature gas sensors is reported using an ionic-activated sensing mechanism. The investigation reveals that a hydroxide layer is developed by the applied voltages on the SnO2 surface in the presence of humidity, leading to increased electrical conductivity. Surprisingly, the experimental results indicate ideal sensing behavior at room temperature for NO2 detection with sub-parts-per-trillion (132.3 ppt) detection and fast recovery (25.7 s) to 5 ppm NO2 under humid conditions. The ionic-activated sensing mechanism is proposed as a cascade process involving the formation of ionic conduction, reaction with a target gas, and demonstrates the novelty of the approach. It is believed that the results presented will open new pathways as a promising method for room temperature gas sensors.

Morphological evolution accompanying a surface roughening and preferred orientation is an effective way to realize a high-performance gas sensor because of its significant potential as a chemical catalyst through chemical potentials and atomic energy states. In this work, we investigated a heterojunction of double-side-W-decorated NiO nanoigloos fabricated through radio frequency sputtering and a soft-template method. Interestingly, a morphological evolution characterized by a pyramidal rough surface and the preferred orientation of the (111) plane was observed upon decorating the bare NiO nanoigloos with W. The underlying mechanism of the morphological evolution was precisely demonstrated based on the van der Drift competitive growth model originating from the oxygen transport and chemical strain in the lattice. The gas sensing properties of W-decorated NiO show an excellent NO2 response and selectivity when compared to other gases. In addition, high response stability was evaluated under interference ga...

Microbial forensics, exploiting bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, has been considered as one of the primary fields to trace the postmortem interval from the decaying cadavers. On the other hand, there remain several challenges of laboratory-based analysis for prediction of postmortem interval, including long-time measurement, complicated measuring procedure, and bacterial growth while carrying samples from the scene. Herein, we introduce the Smart Forensic Kit, which consists of a highly sensitive colorimetric gas sensor, a quality control algorithm, and a smartphone-based analysis method, to quantify the bacterial-derived ammonia gas in real-time. As a result, the estimation system of the postmortem interval has a superior selectivity to the ammonia gas with a detection limit of 38.7 ppb, response linearity to the target bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas putida), and short measuring time (10 min) with the maximum predicted postmortem interval from the mouse carcass (168 h). Furthermore, thanks to measuring the postmortem interval within 10 min, the negligible increase rate of bacterial concentration was observed. Consequently, the results reflected a high correlation between the ammonia gas emitted from bacteria and the postmortem interval so that we believe the Smart Forensic Kit will be applied for tracing down the decomposition of the cadavers in the near future.