Sensing Materials: Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites have been considered as valuable podia for the development of sensors. Among nanocomposites, polymeric nanocomposites have caused significant breakthroughs in the field of sensing technology. The polymer-based nanocomposites have been successfully employed for sensor formation. In this regard, conducting polymers, thermoplastic, and elastomeric polymers have been used. Nanocarbons and inorganic nanoparticles (metal nanoparticles and metal oxides) have been used with the polymer matrices to develop the sensors. The sensing properties and performance visibly depend on the interaction between the nanocomposites and the analyte species such as gases, chemicals, ions, biological species and other response conditions. The nanocomposites-based sensors have superior sensitivity, electrical conductivity, selectivity, response, and performance relative to neat polymers and other nanomaterials. Specifically, nanocomposites’ applications have been verified for biosensing, chemical sensing, strain sensing, and gas sensing.