Electrospun Ceramic Nanofibers and Hybrid-Nanofiber Composites for Gas Sensing

Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been a huge demand for developing sensors capable of monitoring and quantifying volatiles related to food quality analysis, medical diagnosis, and environmental monitoring. Sensors designed for such applications are required to present simultaneously high selectivity, low power consumption, fast response/recovery rate, low humidity dependence, and a low detection limit, which pose great challenges to be overcome in the development of suitable transducer nanomaterials for gas sensing. The nanostructure dimensionality certainly plays a key role for efficient gas detection. Thanks to the advantages derived from the nanoscaled size and the large surface-to-volume ratio, electrospun ceramic nanofibers (ECNs) have demonstrated great potential for the design of gas-sensing devices during the most recent years. Recently, studies have shown that the sensitivity, selectivity, and other important sensing parameters of ceramic nanofibers can be improved by designing heterojunctions at the nanoscale. As a consequence, outstanding composite and hybrid materials with unprecedented features have been recently reported for the detection of hazardous gases. In view of the importance and the potential impact of these results, here we review the latest findings and progress reported in the literature on the factors that influence the gas-sensing characteristics, as well as their application as gas sensors for monitoring various volatiles. This review will help researchers and engineers to understand the recent evolution and the challenges related to electrospun ceramic-based gas sensors and also further stimulate interest in the development of new gas-sensing devices.

Advanced development of metal oxide nanomaterials for H2gas sensing applications

“…In this process, the liquid flow is greatly stretched under the high voltage electric field, thus forming micro/nanofibers. 168,169 As in early 2007, researchers have prepared the first SnO 2 nanofiber gas sensor via electrospinning technology. The sensor has a pleasurable response to water vapor and 20 formaldehyde.…”

Semiconductor Gas Sensors: Materials, Technology, Design, and Application

“…Simple techniques such as solid-state synthesis or high-energy ball milling are still applied for synthesis of metal oxides for gas sensing [ 59 , 60 ]. Solution-based synthesis methods such as hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis [ 37 , 39 , 45 ], sol-gel synthesis [ 41 , 61 , 62 ], or electrospinning [ 63 ] are the subject of much research as they can create a diverse spectrum of nanostructures and heterostructures [ 64 ]. In the form of thin films, metal oxides for gas sensing are commonly synthesized using thermal evaporation [ 65 ], sputtering [ 66 ], and chemical vapor deposition [ 36 ] techniques.…”

CuxO Nanostructure-Based Gas Sensors for H2S Detection: An Overview

“…In this section, we discuss the CuO-based nanocomposite heterojunctions reported for the detection of H 2 S gas. The nanofiber (NF)-type structures are very promising for sensing applications [52][53][54]. The fabrication of metal oxide NFs can be achieved easily through a cost-effective and efficient electrospinning technique.…”