MEMS based on Chitosan - Tetrasulfonated Copper Phthalocyanine Composite for Detection of Ethanol Vapor in Air

Rapid detection of the VOCs such as ethanol has obvious commercial value. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices based on sensitive nanomaterials are promising for this application. In this contribution, a MEMS sensor based on chitosan - tetrasulfonated copper phthalocyanine (Chit-TsCuPc) composite was employed for the detection of ethanol vapors. The device was fabricated based on PiezoMUMPs technology. Chit-TsCuPc was prepared and drop-casted on the interdigitated area of the sensor. A lab-based VOCs concentration control system was applied to provide an ethanol vapor atmosphere during the measurement. The stability of the sensor was demonstrated by a stable baseline in the air stream. The sensor demonstrated linear sensing property at range of 1500 – 3500 ppm ethanol vapor with sensitivity of – 0.11 Hz/ppm. This shows that the proposed Chit-TsCuPc based MEMS sensor has good sensitivity to ethanol vapor and promising potential for commercial applications.