Model-derived conversion formula for real-time gas monitoring based on chemiresistive sensors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a physics-based model and a novel conversion formula for chemiresistive gas sensors, enabling real-time gas concentration measurement by addressing response delays and recovery issues, demonstrated with NO2 and NH3 sensors.

Contribution

It presents a new physical model and an original conversion formula that improve real-time gas concentration evaluation from chemiresistive sensors, overcoming traditional calibration limitations.

Findings

Effective real-time NO2 sensing demonstrated with PbS nanocrystals.

Broader applicability shown for NH3 sensing with polypyrrole/gold junctions.

The model reduces response delays and improves recovery in gas measurements.

Abstract

Chemiresistive gas sensors transduce gas adsorption into changes in the electrical resistance across a pair of electrodes connected by a sensitive layer of material. This type of sensor is used due to its simple operation, high sensitivity, low cost, and convenience for scaled-up manufacturing of microsized devices. The conversion of the electrical resistance to a corresponding gas concentration is often performed through calibration procedures using empirical formulas, overlooking part of the physical phenomena involved in the process, both on the sorption kinetics and on the transduction. Consequently, a direct evaluation of gas concentration is plagued by the response delays and slow recovery intrinsic to these processes. In contrast to this approach, here we first propose a physical model, based on gas-modulated potential barriers, and considering the out-of-equilibrium dynamic response. Based on this model, we derive an original conversion formula able to dynamically convert the resistance changes into a corresponding gas concentration thus eliminating the main drawback related to slow response and recovery. This new strategy is demonstrated for real-time NO2 gas sensing, using chemiresistors based on oxidized PbS nanocrystals. In addition, the broader application of the proposed model and strategy is demonstrated for NH3 sensing, based on polypyrrole/gold junctions.