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nanotimes News in Brief

12-01 :: January 2012

Graphene // Graphene Foam Detects Explosives, Emissions Better Than Today’s Gas Sensors

© Based on Material by RPI

can outperform leading commercial gas sensors in detecting potentially dangerous and explosive che- micals. The discovery opens the door for a new ge- neration of gas sensors to be used by bomb squads, law enforcement officials, defense organizations, and in various industrial settings.

A © Nikhil Koratkar

The new sensor successfully and repeatedly mea- sured ammonia (NH3

) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) at

concentrations as small as 20 parts-per-million. Made from continuous graphene nanosheets that grow into a foam-like structure about the size of a postage stamp and thickness of felt, the sensor is flexible,

rugged, and finally overcomes the shortcomings that have prevented nanostructure-based gas detectors from reaching the marketplace.

“We are very excited about this new discovery, which we think could lead to new commercial gas sensors,” said Rensselaer Engineering Professor Ni- khil Koratkar, who co-led the study along with Pro- fessor Hui-Ming Cheng at the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science at the Chinese Aca- demy of Sciences. “So far, the sensors have shown to be significantly more sensitive at detecting ammonia and nitrogen dioxide at room temperature than the commercial gas detectors on the market today.”

new study from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrates how graphene foam