Energy-Efficient Chemiresistive Sensor Array Based on SWCNT Networks, WO₃ Nanochannels and SWCNT-Pt Heterojunctions for NH₃ Detection against the Background Humidity

Abstract

Recently, promising results have been achieved in improving the sensitivity to ammonia in gas sensors through the use of structures composed of heterojunctions or nanochannels. However, their sensitivity is highly dependent on the background humidity under air conditions. The sensor structures which could ensure selective ammonia detection with a low detection limit, despite interference from changing background humidity, remain highly demanded. In this work, we consider sensing units containing (i) nanochannels formed by a continuous tungsten oxide nanolayer to appear in contact between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and a Pt sublayer and (ii) SWCNT-Pt junctions in frames of mass-scale microelectronic technologies. SWCNTs were deposited by spray-coating on a thin WO3/Pt/W sublayer formed by a photolithographic pattern to be accompanied by satellite samples with just SWCNTs for reference purposes. We elucidate the specific differences that appeared in the response of sensors based on SWCNT-Pt junctions and WO3 nanochannels relative to satellite SWCNT samples with a similar SWCNT network density. Particularly, while a similar response to NH3 vapors mixed with dry air is observed for each sensor type, the response to NH3 is reduced significantly in the presence of background humidity, of 45 rel.%, especially in the case of WO3 nanochannel structures even at room temperature. A multisensor array based on the four various sensing structures involving SWCNT-Pt junctions, WO3 nanochannels, and their satellite-only-SWCNT ones allowed us to determine a correct ammonia concentration via utilizing the linear discriminant analysis despite the presence of background air humidity. Thus, such an energy-efficient multisensor system can be used for environmental monitoring of ammonia content, health monitoring, and other applications.

Keywords

• carbon nanotube
• nanochannel
• tungsten oxide
• heterojunction
• multisensor array
• ammonia