Highly ammonia-sensitive triboelectric materials enabled by gas-sensing enhancement effect
作者：Y. Luo, J. Li, J. He, X. Song, B. Xu, Z. Zhang, J. Zhao, Y. Xie, ...Q. Duan*
關鍵字：Triboelectric nanogenerators, Heterojunction, Ammonia sensing, Food quality detection, Porous wood
論文來源：期刊
發表時間：2025年
Ammonia (NH3) detection is crucial to ensure health safety and food quality. Real-time NH3 detection in food circulation faces challenges such as low sensitivity and instability under different conditions. This study proposes an integrated NH3 sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerators, in which the NH3-sensitive triboelectric material is formed by is in situ grown of polyaniline (PANI) on a SnO2-doped balsa scaffold. The balsa scaffold/PANI/SnO2 sensor demonstrates excellent stability under wide operating range (25% ~ 99% RH, -20 ~ 20 °C) and can detect NH3 in real-time. The conductive network formed by the in-situ growth of PANI significantly enhances the electrical output performance. Thanks to the large specific surface area of the porous structure of natural balsa scaffold and gas-sensing enhancement of PANI/ SnO2 heterojunction, the composite exhibits a strong NH3 response and a low detection limit. The sensor shows a 41.5% response at 100 ppm NH3 concentration, a 30% improvement compared to that of the balsa scaffold/PANI sensor, and a minimal detection limit of 5 ppm. Additionally, the triboelectric gas sensor as a wireless sensing terminal in smart devices successfully detects the food spoilage process in real-time to the user interface. This study introduces a novel approach for developing natural wood-based gas sensors, highlighting their potential in real-time food quality monitoring.