Extraordinary performance of semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors using dielectric excitation

Semiconducting metal oxides are widely used for gas sensors. The resulting chemiresistor devices, however, suffer from non-linear responses, signal fluctuations and gas cross-sensitivities, which limits their use in demanding applications of air-quality monitoring. Here, we show that conventional semiconducting metal oxide materials can provide high-performance sensors using an impedance measurement technique. Our approach is based on dielectric excitation measurements and yields sensors with a linear gas response (R2 > 0.99), broad dynamic range of gas detection (six decades of concentrations) and high baseline stability, as well as reduced humidity and ambient-temperature effects. We validated the technique using a range of commercial sensing elements and a range of gases in both laboratory and field conditions. Our approach can be applied to both n- and p-type semiconducting metal oxide materials, and we show that it can be used in wireless sensor networks, and drone-based and wearable environmental and industrial gas monitoring. Semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors with a linear response, broad dynamic range and high baseline stability can be created with the help of a dielectric excitation technique.