Flexible and disposable paper-based gas sensor using reduced graphene oxide/chitosan composite

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2021.06.018

Abstract

Abstract:

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a representative toxicant in air pollution that mostly arises from the exhaust gas released by automobiles. It is related to various respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and sudden infant death syndrome. Additionally, because the toxicity of nitrogen dioxide is high in overpopulated areas (i.e., a capital or metropolis), the development of simple, practical, and facile sensors is highly needed. This work presents a flexible and disposable paper-based NO₂ sensor based on a reduced graphene oxide/chitosan (rGO/CS) composite. The synthesized rGO/CS composite can be easily flexed and deformed into various shapes, which are attributed to chitosan molecules that function as a dispersion and reduction agent and support material. In addition, this composite can be attached to paper owing to its adhesive property; hence it can be utilized in versatile applications in a disposable manner. By analyzing the conductive change of the rGO/CS composite when it reacts with NO₂, we can detect nitrogen dioxide in a concentration range of 0-100 ppm with a detection limit of 1 ppm. Moreover, we performed NO₂ detection in the exhaust gas released by automobiles using the rGO/CS composite for practical application. The results indicated that the rGO/CS composite has the potential to be used in feasible gas sensing as a facile and disposable sensor under various conditions.

Key words: Reduced graphene oxide, Chitosan, Composite material Nitrogen dioxide, Paper-based gas sensor, Flexible and disposable sensor

Hyunjun Park, Woong Kim, Sang Won Lee, Joohyung Park, Gyudo Lee, Dae Sung Yoon, Wonseok Lee, Jinsung Park. Flexible and disposable paper-based gas sensor using reduced graphene oxide/chitosan composite[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2022, 101: 165-172.

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1. Scheme 1. Schematic illustration of paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor for detecting nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The rGO/CS composite can be manufactured in various shapes and on different substrates owing to its flexibility. The paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor connected to the I-V meter measured the changes in conductivity before and after exposure to NO2.

Fig. 1. Optimization of rGO/CS composite according to contents of CS. (a) Optical images and measurement of contact angle of rGO/CS composites according to CS amount. Scale bar is 1 cm. Measured (b) contact angle and (c) conductance of rGO/CS composite depending on CS amount (0-150 mg).

Fig. 2. Surface characterization of rGO/CS composites via SEM, XPS and Raman spectra analysis. SEM images of (a) bare rGO and (b) rGO/CS composites (top: scale bar is 1 µm, bottom: scale bar is 1 μm). (c) XPS analysis of GO, rGO, CS, and rGO/CS composites. (d) Raman spectra of GO, rGO, rGO/CS composites.

Fig. 3. Adhesion property test of rGO/CS composite on different types of substrate. (a) Schematic illustration showing test of adhesion property of rGO/CS composite on different substrates. (b) Optical images of rGO/CS composite attached to different papers depending on tilting angle. Yellow dashed line indicates the area of rGO/CS composite before tilting. Scale bar is 2 cm. (c) Measurement of distance change from one boundary to another of rGO/CS composite before and after tilting.

Fig. 4. Measurement of electrical properties of paper-based sensor depending on shape and flexibility of rGO/CS composite. I-V curves of rGO/CS composites on paper according to shape of (a) heart, (b) star, and (c) circle shape. Insets show optical images of paper-based rGO/CS composites (scale bar is 1 cm). (d) Conductance depending on bending conditions such as flat, arch, and reversed arch. Inset shows optical images of rGO/CS composite-based sensor depending on bending conditions (scale bar is 1 cm).

Fig. 5. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) detection using paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor. (a) I-V curves of rGO/CS composite paper sensors according to NO2 concentrations from 1 ppm to 100 ppm. (b) Relative response (%) of paper-based rGO/CS composite sensors according to NO2 concentrations (*p-value < 0.006). (c) Normalized response of rGO/CS composite paper sensor reaction with various gas (100 ppm of Ammonia (NH3), Carbon monoxide (CO), Ethanol (EtOH) and Acetone (ACT), respectively).

Fig. 6. NO2 detection of paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor in the exhaust gas of automobiles. (a) I-V curves of paper-based rGO/CS composite sensors before and after exposure to exhaust gas of automobiles. Inset shows a paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor attached to the exhaust pipe of the automobile (yellow arrow, scale bar: 5 cm). (b) Relative response according to exposure time. (c) Current change (Δ Current) of paper-based rGO/CS composite sensor before and after exposure to automobile exhaust gas depending on atmosphere humidity (Sunny: ～23% and rainy: ～60%) (n.s.p-value > 0.8). (d) Reproducibility test using three different automobiles.

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