The use of nanocarbons as chemical filters for the selective detection of nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

The gas filtering abilities of different nanocarbon materials such as nanocones/nanodiscs, and nanofibres, either as-prepared or modified by physical (annealing, grinding) or chemical (fluorination) treatment are reported. The aptitude to filter nitrogen dioxide and ozone, two of the most significant gaseous pollutants of the atmosphere, have been correlated to both the BET specific surface area studied by N2 adsorption at 77 K, and the presence of chemical functional groups at the surface. Valuable information regarding the mechanisms of gas-nanocarbon interaction has been obtained, in terms of chemisorption and physisorption. A prototype microsystem is proposed for the selective measurement of nitrogen dioxide and ozone concentration by means of organic semiconductor gas sensors.