Gas Sensors Based on Copper Oxide Nanomaterials: A Review

Metal oxide semiconductors have found widespread applications in chemical sensors based on electrical transduction principles, in particular for the detection of a large variety of gaseous analytes, including environmental pollutants and hazardous gases. This review recapitulates the progress in copper oxide nanomaterial-based devices, while discussing decisive factors influencing gas sensing properties and performance. Literature reports on the highly sensitive detection of several target molecules, including volatile organic compounds, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen oxide from parts-per-million down to parts-per-billion concentrations are compared. Physico-chemical mechanisms for sensing and transduction are summarized and prospects for future developments are outlined.

Automated summary

Metal oxide semiconductors, particularly copper oxide nanomaterial-based devices, have been widely used in chemical sensors for detecting various gaseous analytes. Literature reports highly sensitive detection of target molecules including volatile organic compounds, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen oxide from parts-per-million down to parts-per-billion concentrations. Physico-chemical mechanisms for sensing and transduction are summarized, with prospects for future developments outlined.