Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have aroused extensive attentions as a new category of gas sensor materials owing to their outstanding performance for detecting specific gas among a variety of ones through diverse gas responses. This review summarizes the adsorption mechanism of CNTs and their properties related to the detection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) decomposed gases that generated in gas insulation switchgear (GIS) of power system. Their performances as sensors of both experimental analysis and theoretical calculation for various kinds of decomposed gases are summarized, and the further research trend on CNTs in the detection of SF6 decomposition components is also put forward.
Keywords: CNTs; Decomposition components; Gas response; SF6.