Room-Temperature Operable, Fully Recoverable Ethylene Gas Sensor via Pulsed Electric Field Modulation.

Ethylene (CH) is an important plant hormone, and its concentration can be used as an essential indicator of fruit quality. However, CH is a non-polar gas with a relatively stable structure, making it challenging to detect and desorb without heating or irradiation. Here, a pulsed electric field modulation mode for non-polar gas detection is proposed, which enables fast and complete recovery of sensors at room temperature. Compared to the nearly impossible desorption without electric field assistance, the recovery time for 9 ppm CH can be reduced to 78 s when the +60 V pulse gate voltage is applied, which is nearly equivalent to the recorded values under heating or irradiation (50 s under 250 °C). Most crucially, with the help of a gate-induced electric field, the sensor achieves complete desorption within 100 s. This work offers a new approach for fast non-polar gas detection at room temperature and on-chip integration of gas sensors.