Highly Sensitive Air-Stable Easily Processable Gas Sensors Based on Langmuir–Schaefer Monolayer Organic Field-Effect Transistors for Multiparametric H2S and NH3 Real-Time Detection

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces Vol. 10; no. 50; pp. 43831 - 43841
• Main Authors: Sizov, Alexey S, Trul, Askold A, Chekusova, Viktoriya, Borshchev, Oleg V, Vasiliev, Alexey A, Agina, Elena V, Ponomarenko, Sergei A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 19-12-2018
• Subjects: monolayer organic field-effect transistors; sensing mechanism; multiparametric detection; Langmuir−Schaefer monolayers; chemical sensors
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b15427

A combination of low limit of detection, low power consumption, and portability makes organic field-effect transistor (OFET) chemical sensors promising for various applications in the areas of industrial safety control, food spoilage detection, and medical diagnostics. However, the OFET sensors typically lack air stability and restoration capability at room temperature. Here, we report on a new design of highly sensitive gas sensors based on Langmuir–Schaefer monolayer organic field-effect transistors (LS OFETs) prepared from organosilicon derivative of [1]­benzothieno­[3,2-b]­[1]-benzothiophene. The devices fabricated are able to operate in air and allow an ultrafast detection of different analytes at low concentrations down to tens of parts per billion. The sensors are reusable and can be utilized in real-time air-quality monitoring systems. We show that a direct current response of the LS OFET can be split into the alteration of various transistor parameters, responsible for the interactions with different toxic gases. The sensor response acquiring approach developed allows distinguishing two different gases, H2S and NH3, with a single sensing device. The results reported open new perspectives for the OFET-based gas-sensing technology and pave the way for easy detection of the other types of gases, enabling the development of complex air analysis systems based on a single sensor.