Laser Processing of Crumpled Porous Graphene/MXene Nanocomposites for a Standalone Gas Sensing System

Nano Lett. 2023 Apr 26;23(8):3435-3443. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00454. Epub 2023 Apr 4.

Abstract

Integrating wearable gas sensors with energy harvesting and storage devices can create self-powered systems for continuous monitoring of gaseous molecules. However, the development is still limited by complex fabrication processes, poor stretchability, and sensitivity. Herein, we report the low-cost and scalable laser scribing of crumpled graphene/MXenes nanocomposite foams to combine stretchable self-charging power units with gas sensors for a fully integrated standalone gas sensing system. The crumpled nanocomposite designed in island-bridge device architecture allows the integrated self-charging unit to efficiently harvest kinetic energy from body movements into stable power with adjustable voltage/current outputs. Meanwhile, given the stretchable gas sensor with a large response of ∼1% ppm-1 and an ultralow detection limit of ∼5 ppb to NO2/NH3, the integrated system provides real-time monitoring of the exhaled human breath and the local air quality. The innovations in materials and structural designs pave the way for the future development of wearable electronics.

Keywords: crumpled porous graphene/MXene nanocomposites; microsupercapacitor arrays (MSCAs); standalone gas sensing system; triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG).