Selective formaldehyde detection at ppb in indoor air with a portable sensor

Abstract

Formaldehyde is a carcinogenic indoor air pollutant emitted from wood-based furniture, building materials, paints and textiles. Yet, no low-cost sensor exists for on-site monitoring to fulfill stringent current and upcoming (e.g., 8 parts-per-billion by volume, ppb, in France by 2023) exposure guidelines. Here, we present an inexpensive and handheld formaldehyde detector with proven performance in real indoor air. Selectivity is achieved by a compact packed bed column of nanoporous polymer sorbent that separates formaldehyde from interferants present in ambient air. Downstream, a highly sensitive nanoparticle-based chemoresistive Pd-doped SnO2 sensor detects formaldehyde in the relevant concentration range down to 5 ppb within 2 min. As a proof-of-concept, we measured formaldehyde in indoor air and from different wood product emissions, in excellent agreement (R2 > 0.98) with high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This detector is simple-in-use and readily applicable for on-site formaldehyde exposure monitoring at home or work. It is promising for internet-of-things (IOT) sensing networks or even wearables for personal exposure assessment.