Love wave sensors with silver-modified polypyrrole nanoparticles are developed in this work. These systems prove functional at room temperature with enhanced response, sensitivity and response time, as compared to other state-of-the-art surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors, towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Results demonstrate the monitoring of hundreds of ppb of compounds such as acetone, ethanol and toluene with low estimated limits of detection (~3 ppb for acetone). These results are attributed to the use of silver-modified polypyrrole as a second guiding/sensitive layer in the Love wave sensor structure, which provides further chemically active sites for the gas-solid interactions. The sensing of low VOCs concentrations by micro sensing elements as those presented here could be beneficial in future systems for air quality control, food quality control or disease diagnosis via exhaled breath as the limits of detection obtained are within those required in these applications.

CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology 61200 Brno Czech Republic

Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México 04510 Mexico

Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona Campus UAB 08193 Bellaterra Spain

SENSAVAN Instituto de Tecnologías Físicas y de la Información Serrano 144 28006 Madrid Spain

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VOCs Sensing by Metal Oxides, Conductive Polymers, and Carbon-Based Materials