The tiny, flexible sensor can detect harmful gas in real-time without requiring an external energy source.
A team of scientists at UNSW Sydney have developed a highly sensitive miniature sensor that is able to detect low levels of the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) .
Gas sensors have a wide range of uses, particularly in health and safety regulations, monitoring the presence of combustible, flammable and toxic gases.
The sensor, which is approximately 2cm x 2cm and just 0.4mm thick, has the potential to overcome some of the existing limitations of gas sensors, including their restrictive size, high cost and energy consumption.
This new prototype, which was developed by Ms. Jiyun Kim, Dr Tao Wan, Dr Long Hu, Professor Dewei Chu and a team from UNSW's School of Materials Science and Engineering, has a high sensitivity to NO2 and can run at room temperature.
The latest study, published recently in Advanced Science, also outlines how key components of the sensor have been sustainably produced using sophisticated printing techniques.
"It's exciting because it's not just science for the sake of science - this has great potential to apply to practical uses," says Prof. Chu. "The fact that it's sustainable and has shown excellent performance makes it feel like we're contributing to revolutionising gas sensors that can be implemented in wearable sensing applications and large-scale production."
