A Flexible and Polymer-Based Chemiresistive CO2 Gas Sensor at Room Temperature

CO2 sensing is important in many applications ranging from air-quality monitoring to food packaging. In this study, an amine-functionalized copolymer, poly(N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-methacrylamide-co-2-N-morpholinoethyl methacrylate) (p(D-co-M)) is synthesized, offering moderate basicity suitable for a wide CO2 detection range. Taking advantage of this characteristic of p(D-co-M), this polymer is used for designing a chemiresistive, low-cost, flexible, and reversible CO2 sensor. The p(D-co-M)-based sensors show a noticeable decrease in their direct current resistance and alternating current impedance upon exposure to a wide range of CO2 concentration (1-100%) at room temperature with a response and a recovery time of 6 and 14 min, respectively. Additionally, the p(D-co-M)-based sensors demonstrate a favorable selectivity to CO2 in the presence of interfering gases including methanol, ethanol, toluene, and acetone. Surface potential measurements show an increase of +6.34 V upon exposure to humidity and CO2, indicating the protonation of the polymer's amine sites, facilitating the detection of CO2 in the wet environment. This sensor is efficient for detecting CO2 concentration released during fermentation of kimchi as a food model.