Functionalized Carbon Nanostructures for Gas Sensing Applications

The search for new sensors is a practice in constant evolution, with the objective of obtaining devices with high sensitivity and selectivity, reproducible, robust, with rapid response generation, easy operation, and low cost. The application of sensors for gas monitoring is extremely important, especially when it comes to the detection of gases toxic to human health. However, gas detection may not be a simple practice, as it is necessary to use materials with physical and chemical properties suitable for the desired application. Nanostructured materials have been highlighted for application in gas sensors, mainly due to their characteristics of high surface area and minimum particle size, which facilitates their interaction with the analyte. Furthermore, these materials can be modified to increase their reactivity, providing detections with high sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy. In this chapter, special attention will be given to the use of nanostructured materials applied to the development of electrochemical sensors for the detection of different types of gaseous analytes. First, a general description of this type of material and its forms of modification will be discussed, followed by an overview of obtaining electrochemical sensors. In addition, some current applications for gas detection will be presented, as well as their application trends as future perspectives.