University of Waterloo

Purpose

This project will develop single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) field effect transistors (FETs) to function as biological and chemical sensors for integration into wearable devices for the detection of pollutants, nefarious gases and spoiled food, specifically Ethylene, NH3, H2S, O3, and NO2. The main challenge related to the existing gas sensors is the lack of selectivity. The proposed research will improve the sensor selectivity by using SWCNT wrapped with specially designed functional polymers as the sensing material, where the chemical structure of each type of polymer can interact a target gas analyte through a ‘lock and key’ recognition. These highly selective sensors will enable applications such as health monitoring through detection of living environment safety by monitoring for nefarious gases and pollutants and food quality. The developed sensors will be integrated to form wearable IoT devices worn on the body or integrated into clothing.