Carbon Composites with Polymer Materials for Gas Sensing Application

Developing gas sensors using carbon materials can be cost-effective and ecofriendly in comparison with metal oxides and chalcogenides. The carbon materials are found to have high response, recovery rates, as well as good reproducibility. The incorporation of conductive carbon materials into polymers results in high-performing gas sensors at room temperature. The combined contributions of carbon matrix and polymer are described by means of several examples highlighting the most significant achievements in the field of sensing. The combination of polymers with carbon nanomaterials is opening up exciting areas of research for gas sensors owing to their biocompatibility, excellent selectivity, and sensitivity. Among carbon materials, graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon quantum dots, etc., are usually explored for their inherent properties like mechanical strength, high surface area, and electronic conductivity. There will be emphasis on specific synthesis of polymer composite with carbon, followed by stability, and selectivity of gas molecules by various composites materials in sensing platform. Sensing characteristics of gas sensors could be improved by the integration of smart nanomaterials or dopants, defects or structural changes, or functionalization in polymers chains. In this book chapter, the recent advances of carbon composites with polymer, their gas sensing properties and factors governing the gas sensing applications will be discussed extensively. Insights will be given for future perspectives of carbon composites with polymers materials applied in gas sensors.