Sponge-Inspired Porous Sensor for Wide-Spectrum Detection of Organic Liquids, Gases, and Isomers.

Abstract

Currently, the identification of organics, including gases, liquids, and isomers, relies heavily on sophisticated analytical equipment or meticulously crafted yet costly materials such as COFs and MOFs. Consequently, developing a straightforward strategy to accurately identify organic gases, liquids, and isomers simultaneously presents a significant challenge. Inspired by the porous structure of the sponge that allows it to absorb multiple liquids quickly, a broad-spectrum micro-nano porous-structure sensor (BPS) is designed using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), highly conductive nanoparticle carbon black (CB) and micron-sized thermal expansion microspheres (EM), which utilizes the micro-nano porous structure to enhance the unique swelling interaction between PDMS and various organic compounds, to accurately identify organic gas/liquids, isomers, aqueous solutions, mixed liquids, and even perform quantitative analysis. There are no reports of sensors, such as BPS, capable of simultaneously detecting multiple types of organic matter. The BPS also demonstrates robust performance, retaining its self-cleaning property even after soaking in water, acids, and alkalis. The wide spectrum and high sensitivity of BPS in detecting and identifying volatile organic molecules make it have great potential in the chemical industry, coal, transportation, and other fields.