A flexible and disposable poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)/polyaniline coated glass microfiber paper for sensitive and selective detection of ammonia at room temperature

Ammonia (NH3) gas monitoring is of outmost importance, once its emission above toxic levels in poultry farms can cause environmental pollution and also pose a threat on the quality of livestock, affecting the poultry production and health. Herein we report on the development of a low cost, flexible and disposable sensor device (GFP@PSS/PANI) for sensitive and selective ammonia detection at room temperature. Specifically, the sensing platform was composed by a glass microfiber paper (GFP) coated with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) through drop-casting and polyaniline (PANI) through in situ polymerization. Various techniques including SEM and FTIR were employed to characterize the as-prepared sensing materials. Upon exposure to ammonia, the developed sensor device shows a rapid, sensitive and reversible response with a limit detection of 125 ppb and good selectivity against other common interferents such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, most commonly found in poultry farm environment. This study provides a simple method to prepare a unique room-temperature ammonia sensing platform of low-cost and high performance, which is suitable for monitoring and controlling ammonia level in poultry farms.