Fine control of carbon nanotubes-polyelectrolyte sensors sensitivity by electrostatic layer by layer assembly (eLbL) for the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC)

International audienceVolatile organic compounds (VOC) sensors have recently extended their field of application to medical area as they are considered as biomarkers in anticipated diagnosis of diseases such as lung cancer by breath analysis. Conductive polymer nanocomposites (CPC) have already proved their interest to fabricate sensors for the design of electronic noses (e-noses) but, for the first time to our knowledge, the present study is showing that electrostatic layer by layer assembly (eLbL) is bringing an interesting input to tailor the sensitivity of carbon nanotubes (CNT)-polyelectrolyte sensors. By this technique transducers are progressively built in 3D alternating dipping into sodium deoxycholate (DOC)-stabilized SWNT and poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride) [PDDA] solutions, respectively anionic and cationic. The precise control of transducers thicknesses (between 5 and 40 nm) resulting from this process allows a fine tuning of multilayer films resistance (between 50 and 2 kΩ) and thus of their sensitivity to VOC. Interestingly the surfactant used to disperse CNT into water, DOC is also found to enhance CNT sensitivity to vapors so is it for the polyelectrolyte PDDA. Finally it is found that transducers with 16 bilayers of PDDA/DOC-CNT provide optimum chemo-resistive properties for the detection and discrimination of the eight vapors studied (chloroform, acetone, ethanol, water, toluene, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran and methanol)

A realistic perspective for CO2 triggered tuning of electrical conductivity

To seek sustainable CO2 sequestration and conversion, an electrochemical cell has been investigated for carbon capture and utilization strategy (CCU). In this cell, atmospheric CO2 is captured under ambient conditions and incorporated into power generation using zinc nanopowder as the catalyst. As a result, a method was developed to tune the electronic property of zinc by passing CO2. It was observed that nearly three orders of magnitude of conductivity could be changed along with achieving a carbon capture strategy. The system also exhibited good stability. In this process, it was observed that efficient current generation could be achieved due to zinc's active participation as a catalyst. The detailed physicochemical characterizations of catalysts were also examined. XRD, FTIR and TEM analysis perform the structural and morphological characterization. The system performance was further investigated using different criteria

Cu and Ni Co-Sputtered Heteroatomic Thin Film for Enhanced Nonenzymatic Glucose Detection

In this work, we report a wafer-scale and chemical-free fabrication of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) heteroatomic Cu–Ni thin films using RF magnetron sputtering technique for non-enzymatic glucose sensing application. The as-prepared wafer-scale Cu–Ni thin films exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation with a 1.86 μM detection limit in the range of 0.01 mM to 20 mM range. The Cu–Ni film shows 1.3- and 5.4-times higher glucose oxidation activity in comparison to the Cu and Ni electrodes, respectively. The improved electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetallic catalyst and high density of grain boundaries. The Cu–Ni electrodes also possessed excellent anti-interference characteristics. These results indicate that Cu–Ni heteroatomic thin film can be a potential candidate for the development of non-enzymatic glucose biosensor because of its chemical free synthesis, excellent reproducibility, reusability, and long-term stability

A Smart Colorimetric Platform for Detection of Methanol, Ethanol and Formic Acid

Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and scientists are working on converting it to useful products, thereby reducing its quantity in the atmosphere. For converting CO2, different approaches are used, and among them, electrochemistry is found to be the most common and more efficient technique. Current methods for detecting the products of electrochemical CO2 conversion are time-consuming and complex. To combat this, a simple, cost-effective colorimetric method has been developed to detect methanol, ethanol, and formic acid, which are formed electrochemically from CO2 . In the present work, the highly efficient sensitive dyes were successfully established to detect these three compounds under optimized conditions. These dyes demonstrated excellent selectivity and showed no cross-reaction with other products generated in the CO2 conversion system. In the analysis using these three compounds, this strategy shows good specificity and limit of detection (LOD, ~0.03-0.06 ppm). A cost-effective and sensitive Internet of Things (IoT) colorimetric sensor prototype was developed to implement these dyes systems for practical and real-time application. Employing the dyes as sensing elements, the prototype exhibits unique red, green, and blue (RGB) values upon exposure to test solutions with a short response time of 2 s. Detection of these compounds via this new approach has been proven effective by comparing them with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This novel approach can replace heavy-duty instruments such as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (G.C.), and NMR due to its extraordinary selectivity and rapidity.Funding: This research was funded by Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation) grant number NPRP11S-1221-170116 and the APC was funded by Qatar National Research Fund.Scopu

Cu and Ni Co-sputtered heteroatomic thin film for enhanced nonenzymatic glucose detection

In this work, we report a wafer-scale and chemical-free fabrication of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) heteroatomic Cu–Ni thin films using RF magnetron sputtering technique for non-enzymatic glucose sensing application. The as-prepared wafer-scale Cu–Ni thin films exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward glucose oxidation with a 1.86 μM detection limit in the range of 0.01 mM to 20 mM range. The Cu–Ni film shows 1.3- and 5.4-times higher glucose oxidation activity in comparison to the Cu and Ni electrodes, respectively. The improved electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetallic catalyst and high density of grain boundaries. The Cu–Ni electrodes also possessed excellent anti-interference characteristics. These results indicate that Cu–Ni heteroatomic thin film can be a potential candidate for the development of non-enzymatic glucose biosensor because of its chemical free synthesis, excellent reproducibility, reusability, and long-term stability

Reduced metal nanocatalysts for selective electrochemical hydrogenation of biomass-derived 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan in ambient conditions

Selective electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass-derived unsaturated organic molecules has enormous potential for sustainable chemical production. However, an efficient catalyst is essential to perform an ECH reaction consisting of superior product selectivity and a higher conversion rate. Here, we examined the ECH performance of reduced metal nanostructures, i.e., reduced Ag (rAg) and reduced copper (rCu) prepared via electrochemical or thermal oxidation and electrochemical reduction process, respectively. Surface morphological analysis suggests the formation of nanocoral and entangled nanowire structure formation for rAg and rCu catalysts. rCu exhibits a slight enhancement in ECH reaction performance in comparison to the pristine Cu. However, the rAg exhibits more than two times higher ECH performance without compromising the selectivity for 5-(HydroxyMethyl) Furfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(HydroxyMethyl)-Furan (BHMF) formation in comparison to the Ag film. Moreover, a similar ECH current density was recorded at a reduced working potential of 220 mV for rAg. This high performance of rAg is attributed to the formation of new catalytically active sites during the Ag oxidation and reduction processes. This study demonstrates that rAg can potentially be used for the ECH process with minimum energy consumption and a higher production rate

Le développement des textiles intelligents avec faible empreinte écologique de nanocomposites polymères conducteurs (CPC)

This research work concerns the investigation and development of innovative eco-friendly smart multi-reactive textiles made of Conductive Polymer nanoComposite (CPC) within the frame of the European Union Commission funded project entitled INTELTEX . Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) have been used as conductive nanofiller to create conductive networks within both synthetic and bio-sourced polymer matrices. The ability of CPC thin films based sensor to detect Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) has been investigated by exposing them to a wide set of solvent vapours. Novel strategies have been introduced to fabricate vapour sensor with controlled hierarchical condictive architecture. The sensors developed were found to have a high potential to detect as well as to discriminate the studied vapours. In a second part the knowledge developed with CPC thin film was transferred to both mono-phasic and bi-phasic conductive textiles, which were demonstrated to be sensitive to vapours and temperature. In particular novel bi-phasic CPC textiles structured using double percolation were found to exhibit a sharp positive temperature coefficient (PTC) characteristic in the range 30 - 60C. In the last part it has been shown that eco-friendly matrices could be proposed in substitution of synthetic polymers to decrease their environmental footprint. Finally, it has been demonstrated that CNT based CPC had a high potential as smart material to develop multi-reactive smart textile for vapour and temperature sensingCe travail concerne le développement de textiles multifonctionnels innovants basés sur les composites polymères conducteurs (CPC), travail réalisé dans le cadre du projet européen intitulé INTELTEX . Des nanotubes de carbones multi-parois ont été utilisés pour leurs excellentes propriétés électriques afin de créer un réseau de charges conductrices au sein de matrices thermoplastiques synthétiques mais également bio-sourcées. La détection de composés organiques volatiles (COV) par ces systèmes sous forme de film mince exposé à des vapeurs de solvants a été démontrée. De nouvelles stratégies sont présentées pour développer et contrôler l architecture multi-échelles du réseau conducteur. Les capteurs ainsi développés sont capables de détecter et de discriminer différentes vapeurs de solvants. Ces résultats ont ensuite aboutis à la réalisation d échantillons textiles mono- et bi-phasiques capables de répondre à la présence de vapeurs. Enfin des systèmes di-phasiques textiles, basés sur le principe de double-percolation ont été préparés. Ces composites présentent une transition nette (PTC) dans la gamme de température visée (30-60C). Pour les deux applications (vapeur et température) des formulations à base de matrices diminuant l impact environnemental ont été proposées. Pour conclure, les composites polymères conducteurs (CPC) basés sur les nanotubes de carbones ont prouvés leur potentiel et intérêt d utilisation comme matériaux intelligents sous forme de textile pour la détection de vapeurs et de température.LORIENT-BU (561212106) / SudocSudocFranceF

Preface on "Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage Systems"

[No abstract available]This special issue was carried by the NPRP grant # NPRP11S-1221-170116 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).Scopu

Volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors made of polymer-carbon nanofiller films hierarchically assembled by spray LbL

MED 2011, CP3, 1-6 (2012)

Controlled conductive junction gap for chitosan-carbon nanotube quantum resistive vapour sensors

International audienceThe sensitivity of quantum resistive vapour sensors depends exponentially on the average gap between two conductive nanofillers at conductive junctions. The influence of this parameter on the chemo-resistive properties of chitosan (Chit)-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been investigated by modifying the processing conditions used to build hierarchically structured Conductive Polymer nanoComposite (CPC) transducers. Three vapour sensors assembled via spray layer by layer (sLbL) deposition: multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs), chitosan functionalized CNTs (Chit-f-CNTs) and chitosan embedded CNTs (Chit-CNTs) were deposited onto interdigitated electrodes and submitted to a typical set of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Three model conducting architectures have been derived from these CPCs in which CNT/CNT junctions were respectively: in close contact (small gap), random contact (distribution of gap) and constant gap (controlled by the sheathing of CNT by crosslinked chitosan coating). The different CPC morphologies have been visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and noncovalent bonding of chitosan on CNT was confirmed by UV spectra. Among the three CPC sensors exposed to water, methanol and toluene vapours, Chit-f-CNT was the most sensitive confirming the interest of controlling the gap between CNTs in the design of CPC transducers. Moreover a strong affinity of chitosan based sensors to water (and to a lesser extent to other polar vapours such as alcohols) was shown. It was taken benefit from this property to enhance the discrimination ability towards water vapour of a set of sensors assembled into an e-nose after the treatment of signals by principal component analysis (PCA)