Osaka University team builds graphene gas sensor that detects a single CO2 molecule
A research team at Osaka University built a graphene nanoribbon-based gas sensor capable of detecting individual CO2 molecules at ambient pressure, achieving detection limits below 10 parts per trillion, as published in Nature Materials. The result demonstrates graphene nanoribbons as a viable platform for ultra-sensitive gas detection, with potential applications in environmental monitoring and medical breath analysis.
Researchers at Osaka University have developed a graphene-based gas sensor with the capability to detect single CO2 molecules at ambient pressure. This device, detailed in Nature Materials, utilizes a single graphene nanoribbon enhanced with carbonic-anhydrase-mimic surface functional groups. The sensor's step-wise resistance changes provide evidence of individual CO2 binding events. Its detection limits, below 10 parts per trillion, surpass current commercial CO2 monitors by five orders of magnitude. Professor Akira Yamamoto, the lead author, highlighted potential applications in early-warning environmental monitoring and ultra-sensitive medical breath analysis. The research team is working on scaling the technology to sensor arrays, with funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japanese Cabinet Office.
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