Fabrication of Channel Circuit Electrodes and Flexible Graphene Resistive Sensors for Detecting Dinitrotoluene 2,4 (DNT)

Abstract

This paper presents flexible explosive sensors possibly manufacturable using high volume techniques. The flexible sensors were created using channel circuit electrodes (CCE) coated with hydrazinium graphene (HG) by a sprayer. The channel circuits produced using paste fill of fine traces is a simple yet largely unreported technique for creating electrodes. The CCE were prepared by molding electrode patterns into resin and filling the channels with conductive paste, producing trace widths of 100 µm and thickness of 4 µm. Its resistance was 5–10 kΩ/each electrode of 60 cm long in serpentine shape. Sensors created using HG as the resistive layer on CCE showed their ability to detect 18.1 ppb of Dinitrotoluene 2,4 (DNT), a precursor to trinitrotoluene (TNT). To form a complete package, resistive type sensors could be made into a portable detection system using simple electronics; we demonstrated the system with battery powered portable electronics.