U.S. Scientists Develop Ten-fold Increase in Sensitivity of Cheap Graphene Sensors

According to a recent report of the “Popular Science” website of the United States, scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the United States have recently developed a new, slim, inexpensive, and reusable sensor that is made of graphene foam and has far more performance than the current market. Commercial gas sensors, but also in the near future, scientists can develop more excellent bomb detectors and environmental sensors.

The new sensor abandons many of the limitations that prevent sensor application and development. In recent years, scientists have made significant advances in operating nanostructures and using their superior detectors to accurately track chemical substances in the air. However, they have developed a wide variety of sensors, It is theoretically very good, but it is not practical.

Current sensor designs are very complex, often relying on a single nanostructure, and scientists need careful manipulation and more accurate analysis of such structures. In addition, manufactured sensors are often not reusable and must operate at a specific temperature or pressure. Therefore, scientists have not produced a reliable, inexpensive, and reusable handheld sensor device.

Now, scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used graphene foam to develop this new type of stamp-sized sensor. They grow graphene, a single-layered carbon atom, on a nickel foam structure and then remove the foam nickel, leaving behind a foam-like graphene structure that is uniquely electronic and can be used to perform sensing tasks.

When exposed to air, particles in the air will be absorbed onto the foam surface, and each of these particles will affect the graphene foam in a different way, with minor changes in its resistance. By passing current through it and measuring the change in resistance, you know what particles are attached to the foam. The scientists passed about 100 milliamperes of current through the foam and found that the graphene foam could cause the particles to desorption. That is, the particles were automatically peeled off the sensor and the particles were removed and the sensor could be reused.

The scientists fine-tuned the sensor and used it to probe ammonia (a key component of the homemade explosive ammonia nitrate). The graphene foam sensor managed to detect this aggressive particle in 5 minutes to 10 minutes, and the efficiency It is 10 times the best detector on the market. The scientists then used it to detect the toxic gas, nitrogen dioxide (which was also released when the explosives decomposed). The results showed that the efficiency was 10 times that of current commercial sensors.

Graphene foam is very easy to handle and easy to operate, and it works well at room temperature. This is a very special feature of scientists. The graphene foam sensor allows scientists to create faster and more practical hand-held sensors. Sense the device to detect the atmosphere.