Wearable Ammonia Gas Sensor Developed by Indian Scientists

Key facts

• Indian scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) developed an ultra-sensitive wearable ammonia gas sensor based on vanadium compounds.
• The sensor detects ammonia concentrations as low as 319 parts per billion (ppb), well below occupational safety limits.
• It operates at room temperature, eliminating the need for external heating, and automatically classifies environmental conditions into safe, warning, and danger zones.
• The sensor was integrated with a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator to harvest mechanical energy from human motions, making it self-powered.
• Flexible versions were fabricated on polymer, paper, and textile substrates, retaining sensing capability under bending, twisting, and folding.
• Prototype smart bands, smart-home warning systems, and electronic textile platforms were demonstrated for personal safety monitoring.