Description:
- Gas sensors
- Biosensors
- Chemical sensing of NO2
Abstract
USC researchers have developed a technique for chemically sensing NO2 using field-effect transistors based on multilayer black phosphorus. The black phosphorus sensors exhibit increased conduction upon NO2 exposure and excellent sensitivity for detection of NO2 down to 5 ppb. When the multilayer black phosphorus field-effect transistor is exposed to a range of NO2 concentrations, its relative conduction change follows the Langmuir isotherm for molecules adsorbed on a surface. Moreover, the devices show a good recovery to the original conductance, suggesting a reversible adsorption and desorption of NO2.
Benefit
- High sensitivity down to 5 ppb
- Larger adsorption energies compared to MoS2 detectors
- Reversible adsorption and desorption
- Reliable, table performance over the sensing range
- Detection possible for NO2, NO and other molecules
Market Application
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a common gas produced as a byproduct in industrial plants and vehicles. This gas is hazardous to humans and can cause a number of health problems at concentrations larger than 53 ppb. Consequently, detection of this gas with sensitivities better than the aforementioned limit is of extreme importance. Black phosphorus has emerged as a candidate for chemical sensing, but its use remains to be experimentally verified.
Publications
Black Phosphorus Gas Sensors, ACS Nano, 2015
Stage of Development
- Experimentally validated
- Available for exclusive and non-exclusive licensing