Chapter 8 - Carbon nanomaterial-based sensors in air pollution remediation

Abstract

The air we breathe every second is being polluted by modern technologies, rapid industrial growth, urbanization, etc. which is disrupting ecological balance. Thus it is crucial to develop sophisticated technology to efficiently detect harmful gases such as nitrogen-based oxides (NOx), sulfur-based oxides (SOx), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2, CO, particulate matters (PM), etc. at ppb level and remediate them. Technologies based on nanomaterials and nanoparticles have shown promising results to mitigate air pollution. In fact, nanomaterials themselves are highly recyclable in nature. Among various nanoparticle-based technologies, carbon nanomaterial-based sensors (CNS) show distinctive competencies in the detection and remediation process of hazardous and toxic air pollutants. Sensors based on carbon nanomaterials including but not limited to the compounds carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene derivatives have been extensively investigated. CNS attracted high interest in this field for their unique morphology, internal structures, and physical properties such as electrical, mechanical, thermal, and optical. These properties result in rapid and sensitive sensor responses toward pollutant particulate matters and gases. This chapter not only summarizes the recent development of CNS for the detection and remediation of different inorganic and organic air pollutants but also gives the underlying mechanism in this regard.