Room-temperature-operated organic-based acetone gas sensor for breath analysis

[Display omitted] •The sensing performance of sensors based on conducting polymers is greatly affected by the presence of water vapor.•The TFB sensor exhibited high sensitivity to acetone, down to ppb levels in ambient air.•A humidification tube was designed as an ammonia filter to improve selectivi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Chemical, 2018-05, Vol.260, p.593-600
Main Authors: Chuang, Ming-Yen, Lin, Yu-Ting, Tung, Ting-Wei, Chang, Liang-Yu, Zan, Hsiao-Wen, Meng, Hsin-Fei, Lu, Chia-Jung, Tao, Yu-Tai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetone
Ammonia
Breath analysis
Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Cost analysis
Detection
Ethanol
Filter
Gas sensors
Humidification
Humidity
Nitric oxide
Nitrogen
Organic sensor
Room temperature
Selectivity
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity enhancement
Sensors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[Display omitted] •The sensing performance of sensors based on conducting polymers is greatly affected by the presence of water vapor.•The TFB sensor exhibited high sensitivity to acetone, down to ppb levels in ambient air.•A humidification tube was designed as an ammonia filter to improve selectivity. The major merits of organic-based sensors include their low cost, room-temperature operation, and small size. However, their sensitivity and selectivity are concerning, especially in the application of breath analysis. In this work, organic-based sensors were developed based on cylindrical nano-pore structures, which enhanced the sensitivity down to ppb levels. The sensing performance was demonstrated both in pure nitrogen and ambient air. The sensor constructed with poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4′-(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl)diphenylamine)] (TFB) exhibited a 5% sensing response to 300 ppb of acetone in ambient air. In addition, the sensor’s response to other major breath components, including nitric oxide, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and ammonia, was also established. The results showed that the TFB sensor also exhibited a good response to ammonia. Therefore, a humidification tube was designed as an ammonia filter to improve selectivity. The concept of integrating a highly sensitive sensor with a customized sensing system shows promise for medical applications.
ISSN:0925-4005
1873-3077
DOI:10.1016/j.snb.2017.12.168