Carbon-based nanoarchitectures in gas sensing: A decade of advancements

Over the past decade, carbon-based nanomaterials have revolutionized and emerged as frontrunners in the development of next-generation gas sensors, especially for detecting hazardous gases relevant to industrial safety and environmental monitoring. Graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and more recently, carbon quantum dots and hybrid carbon composites, have been at the forefront of sensor innovation. Graphene’s atomically thin sp² carbon lattice and CNTs’ one-dimensional tubular geometry provide enormous active surface area for gas adsorption. This high reactivity means even single-molecule adsorption can measurably alter conductivity, yielding very low detection limits. Their high surface area, exceptional electronic conductivity, and tunable surface chemistry have enabled the detection of hazardous gases at ultra-low concentrations—often down to parts-per-billion (ppb) levels.

Innovations in functionalization techniques, heterostructure formation, and defect engineering have dramatically enhanced their selectivity and response towards target gases such as NO2, CO, NH3, H2S, and VOCs. Notably, hybrid systems incorporating metal oxides, conducting polymers or porphyrins have pushed detection limits to the ppb range, while maintaining stability and operability at room temperature.

The mechanical flexibility and integrability of carbon nanomaterials have also enabled portable and wearable sensing platforms. Compact printed graphene/CNT sensors on flexible substrates have been demonstrated, often with wireless or machine-learning interfaces for real-time monitoring of flammable or toxic gases. Overall, this progress has brought carbon nanoarchitectures from laboratory curiosities to practical devices capable of rapid, selective detection of hazardous gases.

The presentation will deliberate a comprehensive overview of advancements in carbon nanoarchitectures for hazardous gas sensing and industrial safety monitoring. Special emphasis will be placed on room-temperature operability, long-term stability, and selectivity toward gases such as NO2, CO, NH3, H2S, and VOCs, which are critically relevant in workplace and environmental safety scenarios. By tracing the evolution of this field from early proof-of-concept studies to near- commercial sensor systems, this talk underscores the transformative role carbon nanoarchitectures play in shaping the future of intelligent, scalable gas sensing solutions for industrial and environmental safety.

Dr. Ghosh is an applied physicist and working as Assistant Professor at Department of Physics, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT-World Peace University, Pune, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics (on ChemFET based gas Sensors) from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad (MS), India. Over the past 18 years, his research has evolved across domains of organic/inorganic - functional nanomaterials, field-effect transistors and chemical sensing applications. He also holds advisory roles at the editorial board of Materials Research Express and Nanotechnology - IOP Science Publishing and have reviewed more than 150 research manuscripts. He earned a lifetime award as “Trusted Reviewer” by IOP Science Publishing in 2023 and awarded as “Top Peer Reviewer in Materials Science”, Global Peer Review Awards 2019, by Publons, A Division of Web of Science.