Review—Recent Advances and Challenges of Conducting Polymer-Metal Nanocomposites for the Detection of Industrial Waste Gases

Abstract

Due to global industrialization, monitoring the number of gases and volatile compounds in the environment greatly affects sustainable human development. Since the 1970s, gas sensors have been used to find harmful gases and gas leaks and to measure humidity and the atmosphere’s composition. Designing small, portable gas/vapor sensors with fast response, reversibility, selectivity, and sensitivity has been difficult. In a similar way, advances in nanotechnology have led scientists to make nanosensors. The development of sensors from traditional semiconductors, solid electrolytes, insulators, metals, etc. However, advances in sensor technology based on conducting polymers have opened up a new way of sensing by making it possible to find chemical/water vapors and industrial waste gases even in complex environments. On the other hand, metal-based sensors were found to be good at detecting industrial waste gases. This review summarizes the work on conducting polymers and metal-based sensors for detecting ammonia, alcohol, chloroform, humidity, industrial waste gases, and other things. The shortcomings and future improvements in the sensing performance of conducting polymer sensors are discussed additionally in this literature review.