Molecular materials for gas sensors and sensor arrays

Abstract Gas molecules can be adsorbed onto the surface or absorbed in the bulk of organic thin layers, modifying the electrical or optical or mass properties of the sensing material. This behavior gives rise to a number of diverse chemical sensors based on different working principles. This chapter reviews the different types of sensors based on organic materials used in electronic noses (e-nose) to date. It outlines the sensing organic materials used in each type of transduction method and presents the applications and advantages in e-nose systems. The number of works published in this field is very large, and a variety of materials, transduction systems, and applications have been reported. This review is a wide description of the state of the art and does not attempt to be exhaustive.