Self-assembly of conducting polymer nanowires at air–water interface and its application for gas sensors

Conducting polymer poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanowires were prepared by wetting Al2O3 membrane (AAO) template method, which could be well dispersed in organic solvent with ultrasonic treatment. In order to obtain highly ordered structure of nanowires, the self-assembly film of nanowires at air/water interface was investigated by Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique. The results showed that PEDOT nanowire-surfactant complex at air/water interface had well self-assembly capability, and the stable float layer was formed with collapse pressure more than 50 mN/m. This well arranged nanowire film was transferred onto interdigitated electrode successfully as novel gas sensing layer through a vertical dipping method. The as-prepared PEDOT nanowire gas sensor was applied to the precise detection of NH3 and HCl gas, especially for low gas concentration (lower than 5 ppm), and showed higher gas sensitivity than conventional nanowire gas sensor. The chemical sensors based on ordered PEDOT nanowires presented good reversibility and reproducibility in response. Notably, our work presents an appropriate methodology for fabricating ordered conducting polymer nanomaterial for gas sensor and other applications.