Mesoporous cellulose nanofibers-interlaced PEDOT:PSS hybrids for chemiresistive ammonia detection

Chemiresistive ammonia (NH3) detection at room temperature is highly desired due to the unique merits of easy miniaturization, low cost, and minor energy consumption especially for portable and wearable electronics. In this regard, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) has sparked considerable attention due to the benign room-temperature conductivity and environmental stability, but it is undesirably impeded by limited sensitivity and sluggish reaction kinetics. To overcome these, we incorporated cellulose nanofibers (CNF) into PEDOT:PSS via a facile blending. The constituent-optimized composite sensor displayed sensitive (sensitivity of similar to 7.46%/ppm in the range of 0.2-3 ppm), selective, and stable NH3 sensing at 25 degrees C at 55% RH, with higher response and less baseline drift than pure PEDOT:PSS counterparts. Additionally, the response/recovery times (4.9 s/5.2 s toward 1 ppm NH3) ranked the best cases of conducting polymers based NH3 sensors. The humidity involved more than twofold response enhancement indicated a huge potential in exhaled breath monitoring. Furthermore, we observed an excellent flexible NH3-sensing performance with bending-tolerant features. This work provides an alternative strategy for trace NH3 sensing with low power consumption, superfast reaction, and high sensitivity.

Automated summary

In this study, a composite sensor for room temperature ammonia detection was developed by incorporating cellulose nanofibers into PEDOT:PSS. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability, with fast response and minimal baseline drift. Additionally, the sensor showed more than twofold response enhancement in the presence of humidity, and demonstrated flexible and bending-tolerant characteristics.