Abstract
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound that is widely used in textiles, paper, wood composites, and household materials. Formaldehyde will continuously outgas from manufactured wood products such as furniture, with adverse health effects resulting from prolonged low-level exposure. New, microfabricated sensors for formaldehyde have been developed to meet the need for portable, low-power gas detection. This paper reviews recent work including silicon microhotplates for metal oxide-based detection, enzyme-based electrochemical sensors, and nanowire-based sensors. This paper also investigates the promise of polymer-based sensors for low-temperature, low-power operation.
Highlights
Effective detection of chemicals in the environment requires a simple, rapid, sensitive and selective analytical sensor
Formaldehyde has been linked to cancer deaths; recent findings show that factory workers who had been exposed to high formaldehyde levels were at increased risk for leukemia [1]
As a VOC, formaldehyde will continuously outgas from manufactured wood products such as furniture or other household materials, and these fumes can be trapped inside buildings
Summary
Effective detection of chemicals in the environment requires a simple, rapid, sensitive and selective analytical sensor. Such devices could continuously monitor our surroundings and give us warnings about the level of toxic chemicals in our workplaces, factories, and homes, even when they are present in extremely low concentrations. Non-industrial exposure to chemical hazards can occur continuously at low levels, contributing to symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and upper respiratory and eye irritation. The occurrence of “sick-building syndrome” [3], comprising these non-specific but acute health effects, has been linked to indoor chemical contaminants such as formaldehyde from adhesives, upholstery, and manufactured wood products [4,5,6]. We examine advances in nanotechnology and polymer technology which promise to bring further improvements in lower detection limits, decreased power consumption, and increased selectivity
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