High-Performance UV-Assisted NO₂ Sensor Based on Chemical Vapor Deposition Graphene at Room Temperature

Abstract

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is one of the most dangerous air pollutants that can affect human health even at the ppb (part per billion) level. Thus, the superior sensing performance of nitrogen dioxide gas sensors is an imperative for real-time environmental monitoring. Traditional solid-state sensors based on metal-oxide transistors have the drawbacks of high power consumption, high operating temperature, poor selectivity, and difficult integration with other electronics. In that respect, graphene-based gas sensors have been extensively studied as potential replacements. However, their advantages of high sensing efficiency, low power consumption, and simple electronic integration have been countered by their slow response and poor repeatability. Here, we report the fabrication of high-performance ultraviolet (UV)-assisted room temperature NO₂ sensors based on chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene. UV irradiation improves the response of the sensor sevenfold with respect to the dark condition attaining 26% change in resistance at 100 ppm NO₂ concentration with a practical detection limit below 1 ppm (42.18 ppb). In addition, the recovery time was shortened fivefold to a few minutes and the excellent repeatability. This work may provide a promising and practical method to mass produce room-temperature NO₂ gas sensors for real-time environment monitoring due to its simple fabrication process, low cost, and practicality.