Issue 6, 2021

Magnetic gas sensing: working principles and recent developments

Abstract

Gas sensors work on the principle of transforming the gas adsorption effects on the surface of the active material into a detectable signal in terms of its changed electrical, optical, thermal, mechanical, magnetic (magnetization and spin), and piezoelectric properties. In magnetic gas sensors, the change in the magnetic properties of the active materials is measured by one of the approaches such as Hall effect, magnetization, spin orientation, ferromagnetic resonance, magneto-optical Kerr effect, and magneto-static wave oscillation effect. The disadvantages of different types of gas sensors include their chemical selectivity and sensitivity to humidity and high-temperature operation. For example, in the case of chemiresistive-type gas sensors, the change in the sensor resistance can drastically vary in the real environment due to the presence of other gas species and the overall electrical effect is quite complex due to simultaneous surface reactions. Further, it is not easy to make stable contacts for powdered samples for the conventional electrical property-based gas sensors. Fire hazard is another issue for the electrical property-based hydrogen gas sensors due to their flammable nature at higher operating temperature. In this regard, to solve these issues, magnetic gas sensor concepts have emerged, in which the magnetic properties of the materials get modified when exposed to gas molecules. In this review article, the working principles, fundamentals, recent developments, and future perspectives in magnetic gas sensors are reviewed. Finally, the prospects and opportunities in these exciting fields are also commented upon based on their current progress.

Graphical abstract: Magnetic gas sensing: working principles and recent developments

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
06 Okt. 2020
Accepted
22 Janv. 2021
First published
23 Janv. 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2021,3, 1551-1568

Magnetic gas sensing: working principles and recent developments

Pratik V. Shinde and C. S. Rout, Nanoscale Adv., 2021, 3, 1551 DOI: 10.1039/D0NA00826E

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements