Chemiresistive ionogel sensor array for the detection and discrimination of volatile organic vapor

•Ionogels have been successfully used as chemiresistive materials for VOCs sensing.•The ion mobility in ionogel sensitively responds to the stimulation of VOC, resulting in the resistance change of the ionogel.•Encapsulating ionic liquids in silica gel matrix could not only retain resistance response, but also significantly improved the sensitivity and stability of the sensing materials.•By exploiting the structural diversity of ILs, e-nose system comprising multiple ionogel sensing elements will have an enhanced capability for odor discrimination.