인천대학교 인디고클랫폼 인천대학교 기술지원허브

Real-time portable detection of toxic and hazardous gases is essential not only for industrial environments, but also for everyday life. Organic gas sensors are promising for low temperature and flexible sensing applications, which make them attractive for next generation wearable and portable gas sensing platforms. However, their practical use is limited by poor sensitivity and low environmental stability. Here, activated carbon (AC) was incorporated into poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) to improve the electrical properties, gas sensing performance, and air stability of organic gas sensors. P3HT/AC devices showed enhanced drain-current and field-effect mobility compared with pristine P3HT devices. In addition, P3HT/AC sensors exhibited improved gas sensing characteristics, including higher sensitivity and faster response and recovery rates. P3HT/AC sensors also maintained superior sensing performance over a relative humidity range of 20–80% compared with pristine P3HT sensors. Furthermore, P3HT/AC sensors showed improved drain current recovery after air exposure, indicating enhanced environmental stability. These results demonstrate that AC is an effective functional additive for simultaneously improving charge transport, sensing performance, and stability in organic gas sensors.