Graphene-based electronic textile sheet for highly sensitive detection of NO2 and NH3

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Vol. 345; p. 130361
• Main Authors: Lee, Sang Won, Jung, Hyo Gi, Jang, Jae Won, Park, Dongsung, Lee, Dongtak, Kim, Insu, Kim, Yonghwan, Cheong, Da Yeon, Hwang, Kyo Seon, Lee, Gyudo, Yoon, Dae Sung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 15.10.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Ammonia; Electronic textile sheet; Exhalation; Flexible gas sensor; Gas sensors; Graphene; Nitrogen dioxide; Polyester sheet; Sheets; Smart materials; Textiles; Vehicle emissions; Wearable technology; Yarn; Yarns; Ammonia; Electronic textile sheet; Nitrogen dioxide; Graphene; Polyester sheet; Flexible gas sensor
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2021.130361

•A highly conductive and sensitive GES successfully detect NO2 and NH3 gas molecules.•The GES exhibited a highly sensitive, low detection limit, repeatability, and selectivity to both toxic gases.•2D GES possess significant advantages for utilization in various wearable devices, compared to 1D e-textile yarn.•The GES could potentially be a next-generation 2D e-textile sensor for detecting toxic environmental gases and monitoring human health. Graphene-based electronic textiles (e-textiles) have generally fabricated with one-dimensional (1D) textile (e.g., yarn) to serve as wearable devices or smart textiles for detecting hazardous gases. For an improved sensing performance, flexible 1D e-textile yarns can be woven and patterned to form two-dimensional (2D) sheets; however, these sheets suffer from batch-to-batch variations while manufacturing by hand. To address these issues, we fabricated a graphene-based electronic sheet (GES) on a polyester sheet with a uniform grid fishnet pattern. The 2D GES exhibited high conductance (∼7 μS) and sensitivity toward NO2 (0.34 μA/ppm) and NH3 (0.16 μA/ppm), which are indicative of a significantly improved performance as compared to that of the 1D e-textile yarn. Furthermore, the 2D GES not only exhibited an improved NO2 sensing response that was approximately three times higher than that of the 1D e-textile yarn but also showed other advantages, such as being 19 times lighter and 5 times thinner per unit area. Moreover, we confirmed that the GES enabled the detection of not only NO2, which is emitted from vehicle exhausts but also the NH3 present in the atmosphere and artificial breath. We also found that the GES possessed high mechanical flexibility to endure a 1,000-cycle bending test. These results suggest that the GES could be a next-generation 2D wearable gas sensor for detecting toxic environmental gases and monitoring health by exhalation.