A groundbreaking achievement in sensor technology has emerged from the Energy & Environmental Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS). Led by Dr. Jongwon Yoon, Dr. Jeongdae Kwon, and Dr. Yonghoon Kim, the research team has developed the world’s first ammonia (NH₃) gas sensor built on a copper bromide (CuBr) film, manufactured through a low-temperature, solution-based process.
This innovation marks a significant leap forward in gas sensing technology. The new sensor is flexible, highly sensitive, selectively responsive to ammonia, and cost-effective to produce—opening the door for widespread use in fields like environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and medical diagnostics.
Traditionally, producing copper bromide films required vacuum processes at temperatures exceeding 500°C, limiting their use on flexible substrates such as plastic and inflating manufacturing costs. These constraints made it difficult to implement sensors in wearable or portable formats.
To overcome these limitations, the KIMS team developed a novel method to form two-dimensional copper nanosheets on substrates at temperatures below 150°C, eliminating the need for vacuum processing. These nanosheets are then converted into CuBr films through a simple and scalable solution-based process, allowing for integration with flexible plastic substrates—a first in the field.
The resulting sensor can detect ammonia concentrations as low as one part per million (ppm), a level of sensitivity that rivals or exceeds current commercial devices. More importantly, it maintains this sensitivity even after enduring over 1,000 bending cycles, confirming its durability and stability for flexible and wearable applications.
“This ammonia sensor has immense potential to be expanded into flexible and wearable formats,” said Dr. Jongwon Yoon, the lead researcher. “It could be used in everything from indoor air quality monitoring to personal health management, providing real-time data from wearable platforms.”
He further highlighted the technology’s medical potential, noting, “We foresee applications in disease diagnostics—such as analyzing exhaled breath when the sensor is attached to the human body. This could pave the way for non-invasive health monitoring solutions.”
With its combination of high sensitivity, flexibility, and low production cost, this CuBr-based ammonia sensor could become a cornerstone in next-generation smart sensing devices—particularly those requiring integration with wearable electronics or remote health systems.
The success of this research underscores the growing importance of materials science and innovative processing methods in solving long-standing engineering challenges and creating versatile, practical solutions for the real world.
By Impact Lab
