It looks like researchers have come across a new method that will pave the way for an extremely sensitive chemical sensor that will be based on the crystalline flaws in graphene sheets. Such imperfections will feature special electronic properties which the researchers were able to exploit, resulting in an increased sensitivity to have it absorb gas molecules by up to 300 times.
It has been several decades that researchers have made countless attempts to develop a highly sensitive and robust sensor, and it looks like a stunning breakthrough is about to happen now. UIC postdoctoral fellow Bijandra Kumar, shared, “We can synthesize these grain boundaries on a micrometer scale in a controlled way. We can easily fabricate chip-scale sensor arrays using these grain boundaries for real-world use.”
With such a development, the chances look good for one to be able to “tune” the electronic properties of graphene grain-boundary arrays through controlled doping, resulting in a fingerprint response that will end up with a reliable and stable “electronic nose.” There has been past efforts and attempts and working on an electronic nose before, but those do not look as though they are going to be as sensitive as what has been developed this time around. [Press Release]
Filed in . Read more about Science.