Robust cyclohexanone selective chemiresistors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based chemiresistors are reported for a highly robust and sensitive gas sensor to selectively detect cyclohexanone, a target analyte for explosive detection. The trifunctional selector has three important properties: it noncovalently functionalizes SWCNTs with cofacial π-π interactions, it binds to cyclohexanone via hydrogen bond (mechanistic studies were investigated), and it improves the overall robustness of SWCNT-based chemiresistors (e.g., humidity and heat). Our sensors produced reversible and reproducible responses in less than 30 s to 10 ppm of cyclohexanone and displayed an average theoretical limit of detection (LOD) of 5 ppm.