Bio-Inspired Electronic Textile Yarn-Based NO₂ Sensor Using Amyloid–Graphene Composite

Abstract

Graphene-based e-textile gas sensors have received significant attention as wearable electronic devices for human healthcare and environmental monitoring. Theoretically, more the attached graphene on the devices, better is the gas-sensing performance. However, it has been hampered by poor adhesion between graphene and textile platforms. Meanwhile, amyloid nanofibrils are reputed for their ability to improve adhesion between materials, including between graphene and microorganisms. Despite that fact, there has been no attempt to apply amyloid nanofibrils to fabricate graphene-based e-textiles. By biomimicking the adhesion ability of amyloid nanofibrils, herein, we developed a graphene-amyloid nanofibril hybrid e-textile yarn (RGO/amyloid nanofibril/CY) for the detection of NO₂. Compared to traditional e-textile yarn, the RGO/amyloid nanofibril/CY showed better performance in response time, sensing efficiency, sensitivity, and selectivity for NO₂. Last, we suggested a practical use of RGO/amyloid nanofibril/CY combined with a light-emitting diode as a wearable e-textile gas sensor.