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Comprehensive Summary As one of the famous traditional Chinese herbal medicines, Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus (FCB) is widely used in the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases and has the best curative effect among the known fritillarias medicines. Due to the variety, complex sources, similar appearance and shape, it is difficult to distinguish FCB with high curative effect (h‐FCB) from other common fritillarias (c‐FCB) in the market. In this paper, a very simple chemiresistor is used to identify FCB from three commonly used fritillarias drugs. The sensors are fabricated by anisotropic electrically conductive metal‐organic framework (cMOF) thin film Cu3(HHTP)2 (Cu‐HHTP[001] and Cu‐HHTP[100]) as active materials owing to their ability to detect specific groups of volatile organic compounds (volatolomics) as the functional motifs of chemiresistor. As a result, the sensors show orientation‐dependence identification ability to FCB. Cu‐HHTP[001]‐ based sensor shows the highest response (344.17%) to 0.5 g h‐FCB powder volatiles among its three other c‐FCB which is much higher than Cu‐HHTP[100] (135.50%). Ultimately, Cu‐HHTP[001] can realize the identification of FCB with an accuracy of 97.2% in a simple and real‐time manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric mixed ionic–electronic conductors hold great potential for advancing high‐performance organic electronics due to their exceptional electrical conductivity achieved through ion–electron coupling. However, the widespread adoption of these conductors faces obstacles due to their reliance on environmentally harmful solvents during processing and the potential performance degradation under various conditions. In this study, a practical solution to these challenges is proposed by incorporating monomers with ionic liquid‐behaving pendant groups into conjugated polymers. The copolymerization of these charged monomers not only improves solubility in environmentally friendly solvents but also imparts long‐term stability against humidity, high temperatures, and mechanical deformation. The immobilized ion species foster highly selective interactions of these polymers with nitrogen dioxide, paving the way for the development of stretchable sensing devices capable of functioning at exceptionally high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the process of producing chemosensors based on hybrid nanostructures obtained from Al2O3, as well as ZnO ceramic nanotubes and the following conducting polymers: poly(3-hexylthiophene), polyaniline emeraldine-base (PANI-EB), and poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate. The process for creating ceramic nanotubes involves three steps: creating polymer fiber nets using poly(methyl methacrylate), depositing ceramic films onto the nanofiber nets using magnetron deposition, and heating the nanotubes to 600 °C to burn off the polymer support completely. The technology for obtaining hybrid nanostructures from ceramic nanotubes and conducting polymers is drop-casting. AFM analysis emphasized a higher roughness, mainly in the case of PANI-EB, for both nanotube types, with a much larger grain size dimension of over 5 μm. The values of the parameter Rku were close or slightly above 3, indicating, in all cases, the formation of layers predominantly characterized by peaks and not by depressions, with a Gaussian distribution. An ink-jet printer was used to generate chemiresistors from ceramic nanotubes and PANI-EB structures, and the metallization was made with commercial copper ink for printed electronics. Calibration curves were experimentally generated for both sensing structures across a wider range of NH3 concentrations in air, reaching up to 5 ppm. A 0.5 ppm detection limit was established. The curve for the ZnO:PANI-EB structure presented high linearity and lower resistance values. The sensor could be used in medical diagnosis for the analysis of breath ammonia and biomarkers for predicting CKD in stages higher than 1. The threshold value of 1 ppm represents a feasible value for the presented sensor, which can be defined as a simple, low-value and robust device for individual use, beneficial at the patient level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean hydrogen is a key aspect of carbon neutrality, necessitating robust methods for monitoring hydrogen concentration in critical infrastructures like pipelines or power plants. While semiconducting metal oxides such as In2O3 can monitor gas concentrations down to the ppm range, they often exhibit cross-sensitivity to other gases like H2O. In this study, we investigated whether cyclic optical illumination of a gas-sensitive In2O3 layer creates identifiable changes in a gas sensor's electronic resistance that can be linked to H2 and H2O concentrations via machine learning. We exposed nanostructured In2O3 with a large surface area of 95 m2 g−1 to H2 concentrations (0–800 ppm) and relative humidity (0–70%) under cyclic activation utilizing blue light. The sensors were tested for 20 classes of gas combinations. A support vector machine achieved classification rates up to 92.0%, with reliable reproducibility (88.2 ± 2.7%) across five individual sensors using 10-fold cross-validation. Our findings suggest that cyclic optical activation can be used as a tool to classify H2 and H2O concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor arrays based on gold nanoparticle (GNP) films are promising candidates for numerous applications, including medical diagnosis and health monitoring. Their economic fabrication, however, remains challenging. This study presents a facile route to GNP chemiresistors with tunable properties via layer‐by‐layer spin‐coating (LbL‐SC). Key steps involve the alternating deposition of dodecylamine‐stabilized GNPs and mixtures of monothiols (MTs) with 1,9‐nonanedithiol (9DT). The 9DT molecules serve to reinforce the growing film via GNP cross‐linking while the MT ligands are used to tune the interfacial chemistry of the GNP assembly. Hence, by employing differently functionalized MTs the sensors' chemical selectivity can easily be adjusted. Further, by varying the MT‐9DT ratio and adjusting the size of the MT ligands the sensitivity can be tuned along with the conductivity and optical properties of the films. In general, decreasing the 9DT fraction significantly enhances the sensitivity while the response isotherms change from Langmuir‐Henry to Henry type. Finally, the cross‐linked GNP films are robust enough to be patterned via photolithography. Hence, this study demonstrates the fabrication and application of monolithic sensor arrays. Different features of the responses to numerous analytes are used as input data for linear discriminant analyses (LDA), revealing that very similar analytes can be distinguished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the process of producing chemiresistors based on hybrid nanostructures obtained from graphene and conducting polymers. The technology of graphene presumed the following: dispersion and support stabilization based on the chemical vapor deposition technique; transfer of the graphene to the substrate by spin-coating of polymethyl methacrylate; and thermal treatment and electrochemical delamination. For the process at T = 950 °C, a better settlement of the grains was noticed, with the formation of layers predominantly characterized by peaks and not by depressions. The technology for obtaining hybrid nanostructures from graphene and conducting polymers was drop-casting, with solutions of Poly(3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) and Poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-bithiophene] (F8T2). In the case of F8T2, compared to P3HT, a 10 times larger dimension of grain size and about 7 times larger distances between the peak clusters were noticed. To generate chemiresistors from graphene–polymer structures, an ink-jet printer was used, and the metallization was made with commercial copper ink for printed electronics, leading to a structure of a resistor with an active surface of about 1 cm2. Experimental calibration curves were plotted for both sensing structures, for a domain of CH4 of up to 1000 ppm concentration in air. A linearity of the curve for the low concentration of CH4 was noticed for the graphene structure with F8T2, presenting a sensitivity of about 6 times higher compared with the graphene structure with P3HT, which makes the sensing structure of graphene with F8T2 more feasible and reliable for the medical application of irritable bowel syndrome evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO thin films with a thickness of 300 nm were deposited on Si and Al2O3 substrates using an electron beam evaporation technique with the aim of testing them as low cost and low power consumption gas sensors for ozone (O3). Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the film surface morphology and quantify the roughness and grain size, recognized as the primary parameters influencing the gas sensitivity due to their direct impact on the effective sensing area. The crystalline structure and elemental composition were studied through Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Gas tests were conducted at room temperature and zero-bias voltage to assess the sensitivity and response as a function of time of the films to O3 pollutant. The results indicate that the films deposited on Al2O3 exhibit promising characteristics, such as high sensitivity and a very short response time (<2 s) to the gas concentration. Additionally, it was observed that the films display pronounced degradation effects after a significant exposure to O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sensor arrays based on gold nanoparticle (GNP) films are promising candidates for numerous applications, including medical diagnosis and health monitoring. Their economic fabrication, however, remains challenging. This study presents a facile route to GNP chemiresistors with tunable properties via layer‐by‐layer spin‐coating (LbL‐SC). Key steps involve the alternating deposition of dodecylamine‐stabilized GNPs and mixtures of monothiols (MTs) with 1,9‐nonanedithiol (9DT). The 9DT molecules serve to reinforce the growing film via GNP cross‐linking while the MT ligands are used to tune the interfacial chemistry of the GNP assembly. Hence, by employing differently functionalized MTs the sensors' chemical selectivity can easily be adjusted. Further, by varying the MT‐9DT ratio and adjusting the size of the MT ligands the sensitivity can be tuned along with the conductivity and optical properties of the films. In general, decreasing the 9DT fraction significantly enhances the sensitivity while the response isotherms change from Langmuir‐Henry to Henry type. Finally, the cross‐linked GNP films are robust enough to be patterned via photolithography. Hence, this study demonstrates the fabrication and application of monolithic sensor arrays. Different features of the responses to numerous analytes are used as input data for linear discriminant analyses (LDA), revealing that very similar analytes can be distinguished.

Clean hydrogen is a key aspect of carbon neutrality, necessitating robust methods for monitoring hydrogen concentration in critical infrastructures like pipelines or power plants. While semiconducting metal oxides such as In2O3 can monitor gas concentrations down to the ppm range, they often exhibit cross-sensitivity to other gases like H2O. In this study, we investigated whether cyclic optical illumination of a gas-sensitive In2O3 layer creates identifiable changes in a gas sensor’s electronic resistance that can be linked to H2 and H2O concentrations via machine learning. We exposed nanostructured In2O3 with a large surface area of 95 m2 g−1 to H2 concentrations (0–800 ppm) and relative humidity (0–70%) under cyclic activation utilizing blue light. The sensors were tested for 20 classes of gas combinations. A support vector machine achieved classification rates up to 92.0%, with reliable reproducibility (88.2 ± 2.7%) across five individual sensors using 10-fold cross-validation. Our findings suggest that cyclic optical activation can be used as a tool to classify H2 and H2O concentrations.

This paper describes the process of producing chemosensors based on hybrid nanostructures obtained from Al2O3, as well as ZnO ceramic nanotubes and the following conducting polymers: poly(3-hexylthiophene), polyaniline emeraldine-base (PANI-EB), and poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate. The process for creating ceramic nanotubes involves three steps: creating polymer fiber nets using poly(methyl methacrylate), depositing ceramic films onto the nanofiber nets using magnetron deposition, and heating the nanotubes to 600 °C to burn off the polymer support completely. The technology for obtaining hybrid nanostructures from ceramic nanotubes and conducting polymers is drop-casting. AFM analysis emphasized a higher roughness, mainly in the case of PANI-EB, for both nanotube types, with a much larger grain size dimension of over 5 μm. The values of the parameter Rku were close or slightly above 3, indicating, in all cases, the formation of layers predominantly characterized by peaks and not by depressions, with a Gaussian distribution. An ink-jet printer was used to generate chemiresistors from ceramic nanotubes and PANI-EB structures, and the metallization was made with commercial copper ink for printed electronics. Calibration curves were experimentally generated for both sensing structures across a wider range of NH3 concentrations in air, reaching up to 5 ppm. A 0.5 ppm detection limit was established. The curve for the ZnO:PANI-EB structure presented high linearity and lower resistance values. The sensor could be used in medical diagnosis for the analysis of breath ammonia and biomarkers for predicting CKD in stages higher than 1. The threshold value of 1 ppm represents a feasible value for the presented sensor, which can be defined as a simple, low-value and robust device for individual use, beneficial at the patient level.

Monitoring the quality of drinking water is a crucial responsibility for all water infrastructure networks, as it guarantees access to clean water for the communities they serve. With water infrastructure deteriorating due to age and neglect, drinking water violations are on the rise in the US, underscoring the need for improved monitoring capabilities. Among the different sensor technologies, graphene-based chemiresistors have emerged as a promising technology for water quality monitoring due to advantages such as simple design, sensitivity, and selectivity. This review paper provides an overview of recent advances in the development of graphene-based chemiresistors for water quality monitoring, including principles of chemiresistive sensing, sensor design and functionalization, and performance of devices reported in the literature. The paper also discusses challenges and opportunities in the field and highlights future research directions. The development of graphene-based chemiresistors has the potential to revolutionize water quality monitoring by providing highly sensitive and cost-effective sensors that can be integrated into existing infrastructure for real-time monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biorecognition element (BRE)-based carbon nanotube (CNT) chemiresistors have tremendous potential to serve as highly sensitive, selective, and power-efficient volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors. While many research groups have studied BRE-functionalized CNTs in material science and device development, little attention has been paid to optimizing CNT density to improve chemiresistor performance. To probe the effect of CNT density on VOC detection, we present the chemiresistor-based sensing results from two peptide-based CNT devices counting more than 60 different individual measurements. We find that a lower CNT density shows a significantly higher noise level and device-to-device variation while exhibiting mildly better sensitivity. Further investigation with SEM images suggests that moderately high CNT density with a stable connection of the nanotube network is desirable to achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio. Our results show an essential design guideline for tuning the nanotube density to provide sensitive and stable chemiresistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) features a band gap of 1.3 eV (indirect) to 1.9 eV (direct). This tunable band gap renders MoS2 a suitable conducting channel for field-effect transistors (FETs). In addition, the highly sensitive surface potential in MoS2 layers allows the feasibility of FET applications in biosensors, where direct immobilization and detection of biological molecules are conducted in wet conditions. In this work, we report, for the first time, the degradation of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown MoS2 FET-based sensors in the presence of phosphate buffer and water, which caused false positive response in detection. We conclude the degradation was originated by physical delamination of MoS2 thin films from the SiO2 substrate. The problem was alleviated by coating the sensors with a 30 nm thick aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer using atomic layer deposition technique (ALD). This passive oxide thin film not only acted as a protecting layer against the device degradation but also induced a strong n-doping onto MoS2, which permitted a facile method of detection in MoS2 FET-based sensors using a low-power mode chemiresistive I-V measurement at zero gate voltage (Vgate = 0 V). Additionally, the oxide layer provided available sites for facile functionalization with bioreceptors. As immunoreaction plays a key role in clinical diagnosis and environmental analysis, our work presented a promising application using such enhanced Al2O3-coated MoS2 chemiresistive biosensors for detection of HIgG with high sensitivity and selectivity. The biosensor was successfully applied to detect HIgG in artificial urine, a complex matrix containing organics and salts.

Nanocrystalline ZnO quantum dots (QD) with a diameter of 10 nm was synthesized and tested toward eight different toxic industrial chemicals (i.e., nitrogen dioxide (NO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), ethanol (C2H5OH), acetone (CH3)2CO, and toluene (C6H5CH3)) with a broad concentration range at five different operating temperatures. Systemic studies allow to determine the kinetics of gas sensing as well as the competing reactions of analytes with sensing material and adsorbed oxygen. ZnO QD showed an excellent sensing performance toward NO2 and H2S in comparison to other target analytes. The selectivity can be further improved by controlling the operating temperature (i.e., higher selectivity toward NO2 and H2S were achieved at 300 °C and 450 °C, respectively). Moreover, the optimal temperature was found to be analyte dependent.

The development of reliable low-power-consumption hydrogen gas sensors is of great significance for the accurate detection of hydrogen leakage in the hydrogen-related industries. Nb 2 O 5 nanomaterials have exhibited great potential for building highly selective hydrogen sensors owing to its outstanding hydrogen catalytic capability, but still suffer from relatively low hydrogen sensitivity at room temperature. Herein, the orthorhombic and hexagonal Nb 2 O 5 nanorods with different defect states are prepared through a combined topological transformation process. The Nb 2 O 5 nanorods with polycrystalline orthorhombic structures exhibit much higher room-temperature hydrogen response comparing with the single-crystalline hexagonal Nb 2 O 5 nanorods. Moreover, both phases of the Nb 2 O 5 nanorods exhibit certain amounts of oxygen vacancies, as well as the interstitial Nb4+ and related oxygen defects. The elimination of the Nb4+ and related oxygen defects can significantly enhance the surface reactivity of the Nb 2 O 5 nanorods and improve the sensor response of the chemiresistor devices. The sensor based on the defect-modified orthorhombic Nb 2 O 5 nanorods shows sensitive and highly selective room-temperature hydrogen sensing performance with the detection limit of 160 ppm. The structure-dependent hydrogen sensing behavior of the Nb 2 O 5 nanorods can be attributed to the redox reaction between hydrogen and pre-adsorbed oxygens, which can be promoted by the superior gas adsorption and pathway effect of the orthorhombic Nb 2 O 5 lattice. • Hexagonal/orthorhombic Nb 2 O 5 nanorods are prepared by topological transformation. • Orthorhombic Nb 2 O 5 nanorods exhibit superior hydrogen sensing property at 27 °C. • Surface reactivity towards H 2 is greatly enhanced by eliminating the Nb4+ defects. • Sensitive and selective H 2 sensing is achieved in the orthorhombic Nb 2 O 5 nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA sensing is critical in various applications such as the early diagnosis of diseases and the investigation of forensic evidence, food processing, agriculture, environmental protection, etc. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor with excellent chemical, physical, electrical, and biocompatible properties, silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for DNA sensors. In recent years, a variety of SiC-based DNA-sensing technologies have been reported, such as nanoparticles and quantum dots, nanowires, nanopillars, and nanowire-based field-effect-transistors, etc. This article aims to provide a review of SiC-based DNA sensing technologies, their functions, and testing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous in the surroundings, originating from both industrial and natural sources. VOCs directly impact the quality of both indoor and outdoor air and play a significant role in processes such as fruit ripening and the body's metabolism. VOC monitoring has seen significant growth recently, with an emphasis on developing low-cost, portable sensors capable of both vapor discrimination and concentration measurements. VOC sensing remains challenging, mainly because these compounds are nonreactive, appear in low concentrations and share similar chemical structures that results in poor sensor selectivity. Therefore, individual gas sensors struggle to selectively detect target VOCs in the presence of interferences. Electronic noses overcome these limitations by employing machine learning for pattern recognition from arrays of gas sensors. Here, an electronic nose fabricated with four types of functionalized gold nanoparticles demonstrates rapid detection and quantification of eight types of VOCs at four concentration levels. A robust two-step machine learning pipeline is implemented for classification followed by regression analysis for concentration prediction. Random Forest and support vector machine classifiers show excellent results of 100% accuracy for VOC discrimination, independent of measured concentration levels. Each Random Forest regression analysis exhibits high R2 and low RMSE with an average of 0.999 and 0.002, respectively. These results demonstrate the ability of gold nanoparticle gas sensor arrays for rapid detection and quantification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hereby present the fabrication of simple and efficient humidity and ammonia sensors based on a chemiresistor design employing a differential measurement technique. Interdigitated electrodes are connected via PEDOT:PSS or P3HT polymers and a reproducible and scalable fabrication procedure is presented. This procedure utilizes pneumatic nozzle printing instead of drop or spin‐based processes and includes an optimized encapsulation procedure and material for sealing the reference electrodes. The suitability of the NH3 sensor for quantifying ammonia in a range of 2 to 100 ppm within a period of several months is furthermore presented. The developed humidity sensor is operational for several months in a humidity range between 10 and 60% RH. Once this range is exceeded, a sensor decay by irreversible saturation can be observed. Based on the low fabrication costs of the sensors (~0.5 $ when ordering 1000 pcs of the platform + printing work), they provide a very attractive tool for industrial humidity and ammonia sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO thin films with a thickness of 300 nm were deposited on Si and Al2O3 substrates using an electron beam evaporation technique with the aim of testing them as low cost and low power consumption gas sensors for ozone (O3). Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the film surface morphology and quantify the roughness and grain size, recognized as the primary parameters influencing the gas sensitivity due to their direct impact on the effective sensing area. The crystalline structure and elemental composition were studied through Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Gas tests were conducted at room temperature and zero-bias voltage to assess the sensitivity and response as a function of time of the films to O3 pollutant. The results indicate that the films deposited on Al2O3 exhibit promising characteristics, such as high sensitivity and a very short response time (3.

On-site detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) can be performed by various analytical techniques. Devices using well-established techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry, flame photometry, infrared and Raman spectroscopy or mass spectrometry (usually combined with gas chromatography) are quite complex and expensive to purchase and operate. For this reason, other solutions based on analytical techniques well suited to portable devices are still being sought. Analyzers based on simple semiconductor sensors may be a potential alternative to the currently used CWA field detectors. In sensors of this type, the conductivity of the semiconductor layer changes upon interaction with the analyte. Metal oxides (both in the form of polycrystalline powders and various nanostructures), organic semiconductors, carbon nanostructures, silicon and various composites that are a combination of these materials are used as a semiconductor material. The selectivity of a single oxide sensor can be adjusted to specific analytes within certain limits by using the appropriate semiconductor material and sensitizers. This review presents the current state of knowledge and achievements in the field of semiconductor sensors for CWA detection. The article describes the principles of operation of semiconductor sensors, discusses individual solutions used for CWA detection present in the scientific literature and makes a critical comparison of them. The prospects for the development and practical application of this analytical technique in CWA field analysis are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The titanium carbide MXenes currently attract an extreme amount of interest from the material science community due to their promising functional properties arising from the two-dimensionality of these layered structures. In particular, the interaction between MXene and gaseous molecules, even at the physisorption level, yields a substantial shift in electrical parameters, which makes it possible to design gas sensors working at RT as a prerequisite to low-powered detection units. Herein, we consider to review such sensors, primarily based on Ti3C2Tx and Ti2CTx crystals as the most studied ones to date, delivering a chemiresistive type of signal. We analyze the ways reported in the literature to modify these 2D nanomaterials for (i) detecting various analyte gases, (ii) improving stability and sensitivity, (iii) reducing response/recovery times, and (iv) advancing a sensitivity to atmospheric humidity. The most powerful approach based on designing hetero-layers of MXenes with other crystals is discussed with regard to employing semiconductor metal oxides and chalcogenides, noble metal nanoparticles, carbon materials (graphene and nanotubes), and polymeric components. The current concepts on the detection mechanisms of MXenes and their hetero-composites are considered, and the background reasons for improving gas-sensing functionality in the hetero-composite when compared with pristine MXenes are classified. We formulate state-of-the-art advances and challenges in the field while proposing some possible solutions, in particular via employing a multisensor array paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of mobile, noninvasive, and portable sensor technologies for diagnostics and emission control is highly demanded. For that purpose, laser carbonization is studied as a tool to produce responsive carbon materials from inexpensive organic precursors for the room-temperature selective detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) applicable in future sensor array-based devices. To increase the response of intrinsically low-responsive laser-patterned carbons (LP-C) to analytes in the gas phase, we tested carbonization in the presence of nanoscale ZnO precursors in primary inks. Following the addition of a zinc salt, Zn-(NO3)2, a noticeable 43-fold increase in the sensor response (ΔR/R0 = −21.5% toward 2.5% acetone) was achieved. This effect is explained by a significant increase in the measurable surface area up to ∼700 m2·g–1 due to the carbothermic reduction supported by the in situ formation of ZnO nanoparticles. Varying Zn concentrations or the addition of as-prepared ZnO nanorods lead to different surface properties like the surface area, porosity, and polarity of LP-C. A predominant effect of the surface polarity on the selectivity toward different analytes of the sensors during physisorption, e.g., acetone vs toluene, was identified and tested. The best-performing LP-C sensors were finely characterized by transmission/scanning electron microscopies and X-ray photoelectron/energy-dispersive X-ray/Raman spectroscopies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor arrays are currently attracting the interest of researchers due to their potential of overcoming the limitations of single sensors regarding selectivity, required by specific applications. Among the materials used to develop sensor arrays, graphene has not been so far extensively exploited, despite its remarkable sensing capability. Here we present the development of a graphene-based sensor array prepared by dropcasting nanostructure and nanocomposite graphene solution on interdigitated substrates, with the aim to investigate the capability of the array to discriminate several gases related to specific applications, including environmental monitoring, food quality tracking, and breathomics. This goal is achieved in two steps: at first the sensing properties of the array have been assessed through ammonia exposures, drawing the calibration curves, estimating the limit of detection, which has been found in the ppb range for all sensors, and investigating stability and sensitivity; then, after performing exposures to acetone, ethanol, 2-propanol, sodium hypochlorite, and water vapour, chemometric tools have been exploited to investigate the discrimination capability of the array, including principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and Mahalanobis distance. PCA shows that the array was able to discriminate all the tested gases with an explained variance around 95%, while with an LDA approach the array can be trained to accurately recognize unknown gas contribution, with an accuracy higher than 94%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the quality of drinking water is a crucial responsibility for all water infrastructure networks, as it guarantees access to clean water for the communities they serve. With water infrastructure deteriorating due to age and neglect, drinking water violations are on the rise in the US, underscoring the need for improved monitoring capabilities. Among the different sensor technologies, graphene-based chemiresistors have emerged as a promising technology for water quality monitoring due to advantages such as simple design, sensitivity, and selectivity. This review paper provides an overview of recent advances in the development of graphene-based chemiresistors for water quality monitoring, including principles of chemiresistive sensing, sensor design and functionalization, and performance of devices reported in the literature. The paper also discusses challenges and opportunities in the field and highlights future research directions. The development of graphene-based chemiresistors has the potential to revolutionize water quality monitoring by providing highly sensitive and cost-effective sensors that can be integrated into existing infrastructure for real-time monitoring.

Biorecognition element (BRE)-based carbon nanotube (CNT) chemiresistors have tremendous potential to serve as highly sensitive, selective, and power-efficient volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors. While many research groups have studied BRE-functionalized CNTs in material science and device development, little attention has been paid to optimizing CNT density to improve chemiresistor performance. To probe the effect of CNT density on VOC detection, we present the chemiresistor-based sensing results from two peptide-based CNT devices counting more than 60 different individual measurements. We find that a lower CNT density shows a significantly higher noise level and device-to-device variation while exhibiting mildly better sensitivity. Further investigation with SEM images suggests that moderately high CNT density with a stable connection of the nanotube network is desirable to achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio. Our results show an essential design guideline for tuning the nanotube density to provide sensitive and stable chemiresistors.

The virus bioresistor (VBR) is a chemiresistor that directly transfers information from virus particles to an electrical circuit. Specifically, the VBR enables the label-free detection of a target protein that is recognized and bound by filamentous M13 virus particles, each with dimensions of 6 nm ( w) × 1 μm ( l), entrained in an ultrathin (∼250 nm) composite virus-polymer resistor. Signal produced by the specific binding of virus to target molecules is monitored using the electrical impedance of the VBR: The VBR presents a complex impedance that is modeled by an equivalent circuit containing just three circuit elements: a solution resistance ( Rsoln), a channel resistance ( RVBR), and an interfacial capacitance ( CVBR). The value of RVBR, measured across 5 orders of magnitude in frequency, is increased by the specific recognition and binding of a target protein to the virus particles in the resistor, producing a signal Δ RVBR. The VBR concept is demonstrated using a model system in which human serum albumin (HSA, 66 kDa) is detected in a phosphate buffer solution. The VBR cleanly discriminates between a change in the electrical resistance of the buffer, measured by Rsoln, and selective binding of HSA to virus particles, measured by RVBR. The Δ RVBR induced by HSA binding is as high as 200 Ω, contributing to low sensor-to-sensor coefficients-of-variation (

In the last decades, development of hybrid materials, especially inorganic–organic materials, coordination polymers, conducting polymers, carbon materials, and many more, has produced breakthroughs in diverse applications. Various advance materials have been reported in the literature using metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which compensate for the limitations of sensors. Diverse combinations of HMs not only offer excellent features, but also give a ray of hope for unprecedented advances in materials in different research areas, such as sensing, energy storage, catalysis, non-linear optics, drug-delivery systems, gas storage, etc. Chemiresistor sensors are a core enabling sensor technology and have led to much progress in the field of material science. Here, we have reviewed the recent progress in chemiresistive sensors based on HMs for nitroaromatic compounds, which could be beneficial for researchers that explore this field further. We have put emphasis on sensing mechanisms and the performance of diverse HMs for nitroaromatic sensing applications including pesticides, pollutants, explosives, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In the end, we explored opportunities, challenges, and future perspectives in this emerging field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium is a well-known hydrogen-absorbing material. When palladium is functionalized with copper-(II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (HKUST-1), a hydrogen-adsorbing metal–organic framework, its hydrogen-absorption capacity can be increased. In this work, we show that, by growing the HKUST-1 on palladium nanoparticle-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd NP/SWCNT), we can dynamically monitor the adsorption and desorption of hydrogen from the HKUST-1 and Pd NP composite by using the carbon nanotubes as transducers in chemiresistors. Addition of HKUST-1 to the Pd NP/SWCNT was shown to increase the sensitivity of the nanocomposite material to hydrogen by 300% and limit of detection to hydrogen by 33%. The increase in sensitivity was attributed to the increased hydrogen sorption capacity of the combined HKUST-1/Pd NP. A factor of 8 improvement in sensitivity was further achieved by using semiconductor-enriched SWCNT instead of mixed metallic/semiconducting nanotubes and a corresponding improvement in the theoretical limit of detection down to 70 ppb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new composite material has been synthesized by incorporating an amine-functionalized MIL-53 (Al) metal-organic framework (MOF) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) under hydrothermal conditions. This hybrid material combines the porosity of the MOF with the electrical conductivity of SWCNT. The preservation of MIL-53(Al)-NH 2 MOF structure and morphology in the composite with SWCNT was verified by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. A characteristic current-voltage ( I - V ) curve showed the electrical conductivity of this composite and gave a linear response in the chemiresistive sensor with increasing concentrations of acetone. The MIL-53(Al)-NH 2 /SWCNT composite also displayed fluorescence quenching tendencies across various acetone concentrations, likely attributable to the impact of guest molecules influencing the framework. An alternative approach utilizing layer-by-layer sensor device fabrication was employed for growing this MOF on carbon nanotubes directly onto a silicon chip, demonstrating its potential for versatile on-chip-sensing applications.

We report herein an investigation on the ozone gas-sensing performance at room temperature of SnO2 nanoparticles assisted by a light-emitting diode. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses indicated the nanocrystalline characteristics of the SnO2 particles after heat treatment. Besides, optical measurements pointed out that the nanoparticles presented an optical gap of approximately 3.8 eV with a broad photoluminescence emission at around 625 nm, which was linked to the presence of oxygen vacancies, suggested by XPS analysis. With regard to the light-assisted gas-sensing measurements, electrical analysis revealed a clear dependence of the ozone sensing performance on the wavelength of the source of illumination chosen, with the highest ozone response being reached upon excitation in the ultraviolet region. Theoretical calculations showed that the (110) surface could increase the stability of photogenerated carriers and contribute to enhancing the gas-sensing features under ultraviolet excitation due to the presence of [SnO6] and [SnO5] clusters, which are capable of inducing an electron-hole dissociation and a reliable chemical environment for O3 interaction.

DNA sensing is critical in various applications such as the early diagnosis of diseases and the investigation of forensic evidence, food processing, agriculture, environmental protection, etc. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor with excellent chemical, physical, electrical, and biocompatible properties, silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for DNA sensors. In recent years, a variety of SiC-based DNA-sensing technologies have been reported, such as nanoparticles and quantum dots, nanowires, nanopillars, and nanowire-based field-effect-transistors, etc. This article aims to provide a review of SiC-based DNA sensing technologies, their functions, and testing results.

The remarkable potential of breath analysis in medical care and diagnosis, and the consequent development of electronic noses, is currently attracting the interest of the research community. This is mainly due to the possibility of applying the technique for early diagnosis, screening campaigns, or tracking the effectiveness of treatment. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known to be good candidates for gas sensing, and they have been recently considered for the development of electronic noses. The present work has the aim of reviewing the available literature on the development of CNTs-based electronic noses for breath analysis applications, detailing the functionalization procedure used to prepare the sensors, the breath sampling techniques, the statistical analysis methods, the diseases under investigation, and the population studied. The review is divided in two main sections: one focusing on the e-noses completely based on CNTs and one reporting on the e-noses that feature sensors based on CNTs, along with sensors based on other materials. Finally, a classification is presented among studies that report on the e-nose capability to discriminate biomarkers, simulated breath, and animal or human breath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia sensors with high sensitivity, reproducible response, and low cost are of paramount importance for medicine, i.e., being a biomarker to diagnose lung and renal conditions, and agriculture, given that fertilizer application and livestock manure account for more than 80% of NH3 emissions. Thus, in this work, we report the fabrication of ultra-sensitive ammonia sensors by a rapid, efficient, and solvent-free laser-based procedure, i.e., laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). LIFT has been used to transfer carbon nanowalls (CNWs) onto flexible polyimide substrates pre-patterned with metallic electrodes. The feasibility of LIFT is validated by the excellent performance of the laser-printed CNW-based sensors in detecting different concentrations of NH3 in the air, at room temperature. The sensors prepared by LIFT show reversible responses to ammonia when exposed to 20 ppm, whilst at higher NH3 concentrations, the responses are quasi-dosimetric. Furthermore, the laser-printed CNW-based sensors have a detection limit as low as 89 ppb and a response time below 10 min for a 20 ppm exposure. In addition, the laser-printed CNW-based sensors are very robust and can withstand more than 200 bending cycles without loss of performance. This work paves the way for the application and integration of laser-based techniques in device fabrication, overcoming the challenges associated with solvent-assisted chemical functionalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air contamination is one of the foremost concerns of environmentalists worldwide, which has elevated global public health concerns for monitoring air contaminants and implementing appropriate safety policies. These facts have generated nascent global demand for exploring sustainable and translational strategies required to engineer affordable, intelligent, and miniaturized sensors because commercially available sensors lack lower detection limits, room temperature operation, and poor selectivity. The state‐of‐the‐art sensors are concerned with architecting advanced nanomaterials to achieve desired sensing performance. Recent studies demonstrate that neither pristine metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) nor polymers (P) can address these practical challenges. However, synergistic combinations of various precursors as hybrid‐nanocomposites (MXP‐HNCs) have emerged as superior sensing materials to develop next‐generation intelligent environmental, industrial, and biomedical sensors. The expected outcomes could be manipulative due to optimizing physicochemical and morphological attributes like tunable interlayer‐distance, optimum porosity, enlarged effective surface area, rich surface functionalities, mechanical flexibility, and tunable conductivity. This review intends to detail a comprehensive summary of the advancements in state‐of‐the‐art MXP‐HNCs chemiresistors. Moreover, the underlying sensing phenomenon, chemiresistor architecture, and their monitoring performance are highlighted. Besides, an overview of challenges, potential solutions, and prospects of MXP‐HNCs as next‐generation intelligent field‐deployable sensors with the integration of IoT and AI are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitivity and selectivity are the two major parameters that should be optimized in chemiresistive devices with boosted performances towards Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Notwithstanding a plethora of metal oxides/VOCs combinations that have been investigated so far, a close inspection based on theoretical models to provide guidelines to enhance sensors features has been scarcely explored. In this work, we measured experimentally the sensor response of a WO3 chemiresistor towards gaseous acetone and toluene, observing a two orders of magnitude higher signal for the former. In order to gain insight on the observed selectivity, Density Functional Theory was then adopted to elucidate how acetone and toluene molecules adsorption may perturb the electronic structure of WO3 due to electrostatic interactions with the surface and hybridization with its electronic structure. The results of acetone adsorption suggest the activation of the carbonyl group for reactions, while an overall lower charge redistribution on the surface and the molecule was observed for toluene. This, combined with acetone's higher binding energy, justifies the difference in the final responses. Notably, the presence of surface oxygen vacancies, characterizing the nanostructure of the oxide, influences the sensing performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas the close associations of cesium ion with organochlorine compounds have been previously documented, the present report is the first attempt to exploit these interactions to create a trichloroethylene (TCE)-selective sensor. Gold monolayer-protected clusters peripherally functionalized with Cs+ ions were used to prepare a chemiresistance film on MEMS-fabricated interdigitated electrodes. Vapor sensing properties of the cesium-rich chemiresistor were determined using a panel of chlorinated hydrocarbons including TCE as well as polar and non-polar VOCs for comparison. The sensor was selective and highly sensitive toward VOCs containing a 1,2-dichloro group at concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm. The results suggest the key interaction contributing to sensor response is a bidentate, metallocycle-like coordination of the 1,2-dichloro group to the cesium cations at the sensor surface. [Display omitted] • Gold monolayer-protected clusters peripherally functionalized with Cs+ ions were synthesized to prepare a chemiresistor sensor. • Vapor sensing properties of the cesium-rich chemiresistor were determined using a panel of chlorinated hydrocarbons. • The sensor was selective and highly sensitive toward VOCs containing a 1,2-dichloro group \. • The key interaction contributing to sensor response is a metallocycle-like coordination of the 1,2-dichloro group to cesium cations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report ultrahigh sensitive and selective hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) chemiresistive sensor using SHI irradiated cerium-based metal–organic framework (MOF)/graphene oxide composite (Ce-BTC/GO). The solvothermal synthesized Ce-BTC/GO coated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, irradiated by the 100 MeV Au+ ion at the fluence rate 5 × 1010 ions/s, 5 × 1011 ions/s and 5 × 1012 ions/s has been tested for chemiresistive sensing of H 2 S. As irradiated, Ce-BTC/GO was multi-parametrically tested for XRD, FE-SEM, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and I-V characteristics for its structural, morphological, spectroscopic and electrical characteristics. The result reveals that the irradiation treatment greatly affects the electric characteristics of the GO, achieving dramatic conductivity modulation in the presence of H 2 S gas, it also creates the surface sites for the H 2 S absorption and hence shows excellent real-time sensing performance below the maximum residue limit established by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). SHI irradiated Ce-BTC/GO sensor also shows excellent response/recovery time, ultrahigh reproducibility, good repeatability and stability at room temperature. The sensor allows the detection of H 2 S with a sensitivity of 54.70% in a concentration range of 10–100 ppm with a limit of detection 10 ppm. • GO was prepared by the hummer's method and a reliable synthesis of Ce-BTC and Ce-BTC/GO was done by solvothermal method. • Solvothermally synthesized Ce-BTC and Ce-BTC/GO was irradiated by 100 MeV Au ions. • Synthesized and irradiated materials was characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM and I-V. • Chemiresistive gas sensing performance of SHI irradiated Ce-BTC/GO was comprehensively studied. • Result shows that fluence rate of SHI irradiation greatly affect the degree of reduction and hence the sensing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Infectious disease outbreaks remain an ever‐prevalent global issue. The associated demand for rapid diagnostics and onsite testing will play an increasing and critical role in disease surveillance, prevention of the spread of infection, as well as timely commencement of treatment. Reported here is a graphene–gold nanoparticle hybrid sensor platform technology that is demonstrated for the real‐time detection of viral proteins utilizing low volume samples (5 μL). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is still an endemic problem worldwide and is used as an exemplar system here to demonstrate the capability of the platform viral detection sensor technology. Hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcAg) is a promising marker for point‐of‐care (POC) diagnostic testing for active HCV infection, with the potential to provide a one‐stop diagnosis and trigger for the commencement of treatment. Real‐time electrical resistance measurements are performed using various concentrations of HCVcAg with linear concentration dependence of resistance on HCVcAg concentration over the range of 100–750 pg mL−1.

Here in this research, Activated Carbon (AC)-γFe2O3 composite structures were prepared by pyrolysis of bamboo at 700–1000 °C temperatures. Characterization of the as-obtained samples by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of AC-γFe2O3 composite. The alcohol sensing performance of the composite structure at room temperature was investigated for different ethanol concentrations, which showed self-activated faster response/recovery, improved range of detection, and sensitivity. Ethanol sensing by the drop-casted AC-γFe2O3 films on a glass substrate was tested for various ethanol concentrations ranging from 50 to 500 ppm in water. The chemiresistive p-n-type heterojunctions formed between AC and γFe2O3 were attributed to the room temperature alcohol sensing performance of the material. AC-γFe2O3 prepared at 700 °C showed better sensitivity of 49% for 500 ppm ethanol concentration. The quickest response time was found to be 26 s for 100 ppm ethanol concentration with a recovery time of 15 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(aniline co – pyrrole) (PAP) nanospheres (diameter ~50 nm) have been synthesized by using cost-effective electrochemical oxidation of monomers, i.e., aniline, and pyrrole (1:1 ratio), and evaluated as sulfur dioxide chemiresistor. PAP chemiresistor exhibited an improved sensing response (6.1%) toward a low concentration of sulfur dioxide (5 parts per million) compared to its precursor-based chemiresistors at room temperature. It is attributed to the remarkable characteristics of PAP, such as higher surface-to-volume ratio, larger effective surface area, higher branching, and lower conductivity value. Furthermore, the cause of low conductivity was evaluated using low-temperature direct current charge transport studies. The dependence of activation energy on temperature discarded the probability of band conduction mechanism in the synthesized PAP nanospheres. PAP nanospheres were found to possess 3-Dimensional VRH conduction of charge carriers. The low conductivity of PAP nanospheres is further explained by evaluating Mott's parameters, i.e., characteristic temperature, hopping radius, hopping energy, and density of states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-site detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) can be performed by various analytical techniques. Devices using well-established techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry, flame photometry, infrared and Raman spectroscopy or mass spectrometry (usually combined with gas chromatography) are quite complex and expensive to purchase and operate. For this reason, other solutions based on analytical techniques well suited to portable devices are still being sought. Analyzers based on simple semiconductor sensors may be a potential alternative to the currently used CWA field detectors. In sensors of this type, the conductivity of the semiconductor layer changes upon interaction with the analyte. Metal oxides (both in the form of polycrystalline powders and various nanostructures), organic semiconductors, carbon nanostructures, silicon and various composites that are a combination of these materials are used as a semiconductor material. The selectivity of a single oxide sensor can be adjusted to specific analytes within certain limits by using the appropriate semiconductor material and sensitizers. This review presents the current state of knowledge and achievements in the field of semiconductor sensors for CWA detection. The article describes the principles of operation of semiconductor sensors, discusses individual solutions used for CWA detection present in the scientific literature and makes a critical comparison of them. The prospects for the development and practical application of this analytical technique in CWA field analysis are also discussed.

The titanium carbide MXenes currently attract an extreme amount of interest from the material science community due to their promising functional properties arising from the two-dimensionality of these layered structures. In particular, the interaction between MXene and gaseous molecules, even at the physisorption level, yields a substantial shift in electrical parameters, which makes it possible to design gas sensors working at RT as a prerequisite to low-powered detection units. Herein, we consider to review such sensors, primarily based on Ti3C2Tx and Ti2CTx crystals as the most studied ones to date, delivering a chemiresistive type of signal. We analyze the ways reported in the literature to modify these 2D nanomaterials for (i) detecting various analyte gases, (ii) improving stability and sensitivity, (iii) reducing response/recovery times, and (iv) advancing a sensitivity to atmospheric humidity. The most powerful approach based on designing hetero-layers of MXenes with other crystals is discussed with regard to employing semiconductor metal oxides and chalcogenides, noble metal nanoparticles, carbon materials (graphene and nanotubes), and polymeric components. The current concepts on the detection mechanisms of MXenes and their hetero-composites are considered, and the background reasons for improving gas-sensing functionality in the hetero-composite when compared with pristine MXenes are classified. We formulate state-of-the-art advances and challenges in the field while proposing some possible solutions, in particular via employing a multisensor array paradigm.

Sensor arrays are currently attracting the interest of researchers due to their potential of overcoming the limitations of single sensors regarding selectivity, required by specific applications. Among the materials used to develop sensor arrays, graphene has not been so far extensively exploited, despite its remarkable sensing capability. Here we present the development of a graphene-based sensor array prepared by dropcasting nanostructure and nanocomposite graphene solution on interdigitated substrates, with the aim to investigate the capability of the array to discriminate several gases related to specific applications, including environmental monitoring, food quality tracking, and breathomics. This goal is achieved in two steps: at first the sensing properties of the array have been assessed through ammonia exposures, drawing the calibration curves, estimating the limit of detection, which has been found in the ppb range for all sensors, and investigating stability and sensitivity; then, after performing exposures to acetone, ethanol, 2-propanol, sodium hypochlorite, and water vapour, chemometric tools have been exploited to investigate the discrimination capability of the array, including principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and Mahalanobis distance. PCA shows that the array was able to discriminate all the tested gases with an explained variance around 95%, while with an LDA approach the array can be trained to accurately recognize unknown gas contribution, with an accuracy higher than 94%.

Tungsten oxide (WO3) was deposited through the successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) method at low temperature. The polycrystalline monoclinic structure of deposited WO3 is confirmed by its x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. Sensing studies revealed that the nanostructured WO3 has a good response towards formaldehyde (HCHO) at 350°C. A response time of 28 s was observed for 5 ppm HCHO. Density functional theory (DFT) studies were performed to understand the detection mechanism based on the lattice plane growth orientation. The electronic properties of the WO3 were analyzed using the density of states (DOS) and Mulliken population analysis for adsorption of oxygen and HCHO on the WO3 surface. A significant change in the Fermi energy was observed during oxygen and HCHO adsorption on the surface of WO3. The computational results were compared with the proposed HCHO detection mechanism. The results obtained through the present work highlight the possibilities of developing a sensor to detect HCHO concentrations at the ppm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sensors enabling the identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their mixtures is an ongoing challenge driven by many potential applications, such as breath analysis in medical diagnosis, food quality control, and environmental monitoring. In this context, hybrid materials of organically stabilized or cross-linked metal nanoparticles show great potential for the chemiresistive detection of VOCs. Here, we show that the unique nanostructure of these materials induces analyte-dependent response kinetics, which can be tuned and employed for analyte recognition. First, the response kinetics of different α,ω-alkanedithiol (ADT) cross-linked GNP film chemiresistors were measured by exposing them to vapors of toluene, 1-butanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, ethanol, water, 4-methylpentan-2-one, and different homologous alkanes. The t80 response times and the integrated area below the response transients were used as characteristic features of the response kinetics. The response times depended strongly on the molecular volume of the analyte as opposed to the maximum sensor response, which was governed by the analytes' polarity and vapor pressure. We attribute the variation in response time to molecular transport of the analyte molecules entering the sensor film. Second, using different-sized cross-linkers, different film thicknesses, or by preexposing the sensors to deep ultraviolet radiation, it is possible to tune the kinetics of the sensors' responses to different analytes. Third, by employing linear discriminant analysis on data sets containing the maximum responses and kinetic response features of a GNP/ADT sensor array with adjusted response kinetics, it was possible to differentiate between very similar analytes over a broad range of concentrations (100–4000 ppm). Hence, the methods described herein will be very useful for various applications of nanoparticle-based chemiresistor arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable multitude of chemiresistive type of gas sensors has been estimated to sense minute amounts of hazardous or toxic gases using inexpensive setups. Although the ultimate value of the response of gas sensors is well-established, analyzing other characteristics has been mostly neglected. In the present paper, we demonstrate the modeling of time-dependent responses by slightly modified Gompertz functions whose derived parameters can be correlated with the detection mechanism, thus, expanding analysis methods towards a better understanding of gas sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]