Emerging poly(aniline co-pyrrole) nanocomposites by in-situ polymerized for high-performance flexible ammonia sensor

Developing low-cost and high-performance ammonia sensors is significant to the current air pollution control and non-invasive diagnosis of human diseases. In this work, in situ polymerization of poly(aniline-co-pyrrole) (PAPY) is on flexible porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based sensitive membrane (PAPYP). Based on the adjustment of the poly(aniline-pyrrole) copolymer backbone structure and the dual role of the porous substrate, the sensor exhibited excellent ammonia gas sensing performance. The response of the PAPYP sensor to 1 ppm NH3 at room temperature was improved to 93%. It has a low detection concentration of 0.05 ppm for NH3. In addition, the PAPYP sensor has excellent long-term stability and outstanding flexibility. Finally, based on the low-temperature working environment of the sensor, we analyzed and discussed the influence of relative humidity and temperature on the gas-sensing characteristics of the PAPYP sensor to realize error correction in practical applications. This study provides commercial application potential for ammonia concentration detection related to human health.