Room Temperature Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Hybrid Layered SnO Mesoflowers and Laser-Induced Graphitic Carbon Devices

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate chemiresistive volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors prepared by drop-cast assembly of layered tin monoxide mesoflowers (SnO-MFs) on additively produced laser-induced graphene-like carbon (LIG). The SnO-MFs were synthesized below 100 °C at ambient pressure and offer a low fabrication energy alternative route to typical furnace-prepared metal-oxide materials. The additive dropcast assembly of room-temperature operating metal oxide active material allows the substitution of LIG for metal current collectors and glass for alumina, reducing the environmental footprint of the sensor. The sensors can detect methanol (150-4000 ppm) at room temperature and humidity (∼18 °C, ∼55% RH), with response and recovery times (150 ppm methanol) of t90,resp ≈ 50 ± 10 s and t90,rec ≈ 5 ± 0.5 s, respectively. The sensors demonstrated a limit of detection (170 ± 40 ppm) below 8 h worker safety exposure levels (200 ppm) and stable DC resistance responses ΔR/R = 9 ± 2% to 710 ppm of methanol for over 21 days in ambient laboratory conditions, n = 4. First-principles density functional theory simulations were used to elucidate the interactions of VOC species on the SnO surfaces. LIG-SnO hybrid sensors thus present a resource-efficient route to develop chemiresistive sensors for low-power applications, although with cross-selectivity to other alcohol species.