The need for advanced gas sensors has risen for the detection of hazardous gases, breath analysis, and food industry applications. Transition metal carbides (TMCs), like Mo2C, are novel gas-sensing materials attributed to high electronic conductivity and superior catalytic properties. Poor sensitivity and selectivity are big concerns in TMC-based sensors due to their low specific surface area and fewer reactive sites. Partial oxidation of Mo2C offers the tuning of structural, chemical, and electronic properties. However, conventional techniques, annealing, and solution processing offer uncontrolled oxidation and lead to structural degradation. Herein, by using a temporally and spatially controlled picosecond (ps) pulsed laser, micropatterned Mo2C-derived oxide (MoO3) is developed at room temperature for highly efficient ammonia (NH3) sensing. The uniformly decorated MoO3 nanoclusters over Mo2C function as active centers for better NH3 interaction and formation of discrete Schottky barriers (SBs) between materials, tuning the charge carrier transportation. The MoO3/Mo2C sensor exhibited excellent selectivity toward NH3 over other interfering gases like hydrogen, ethanol, and acetone. This sensor showed excellent sensitivity (351%/100 parts per billion (ppb) NH3) and long-term stability. The Mo2C laser-treated sensor has been successfully tested for monitoring food spoilage. Laser-assisted engineering will provide a new avenue for designing highly efficient gas sensors.

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Yonsei University 50 Yonsei ro Seodaemun gu Seoul 03722 South Korea

Department of Medical Research China Medical University Hospital China Medical University No 91 Hsueh Shih Road Taichung 40402 Taiwan

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science VSB Technical University of Ostrava 17 listopadu 2172 15 Ostrava 70800 Czech Republic

Future Energy and Innovation Laboratory Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Purkyňova 123 Brno 61200 Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Kim T., Lee T. H., Park S. Y., Eom T. H., Cho I., Kim Y., Kim C., Lee S. A., Choi M.‐J., Suh J. M., Hwang I.‐S., Lee D., Park I., Jang H. W., ACS Nano 2023, 17, 4404. PubMed

Zheng J., Pang K., Liu X., Li S., Song R., Liu Y., Tang Z., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 30, 2005727.

Yuan Z., Bariya M., Fahad H. M., Wu J., Han R., Gupta N., Javey A., Adv. Mater. 2020, 32, 1908385. PubMed

Wang P., Tang C., Zhang L., Lu Y., Huang F., Chem. Eng. J. 2024, 496, 153998.

Majhi S. M., Mirzaei A., Kim H. W., Kim S. S., Kim T. W., Nano Energy 2021, 79, 105369. PubMed PMC

Shan Z., Xiao J. Z., Wu M., Wang J., Su J., Yao M. S., Lu M., Wang R., Zhang G., Angew. Chem. – Int. Ed. 2024, 136, 202401679. PubMed

Min H., Kwon O., Lee J., Choi E., Kim J., Lee N., Eum K., Lee K. H., Kim D. W., Lee W., Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2309041. PubMed

Jiang F., Deng Y., Chen K., Li J., Huang X. Y., Zou Y., Wu L., Xie W., Deng Y., Adv. Mater. 2024, 36, 2313547. PubMed

Begi A. N., Hussain S., Liaqat M. J., Alsaiari N. S., Ouladsmane M., Qiao G., Liu G., Mater. Sci. Semicond. Process. 2024, 181, 108641.

Cho S. Y., Kim J. Y., Kwon O., Kim J., Jung H. T., J Mater. Chem. A Mater. 2018, 6, 23408.

Liu J., Lu X., Han G., Si C., Zhao Y., Hou Z., Zhang Y., Ning J., ACS Appl. Electron Mater. 2023, 5, 5061.

Wang H., Delacroix S., Zieleniewska A., Hou J., Tarakina N. V., Cruz D., Lauermann I., Ferguson A. J., Blackburn J. L., Strauss V., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31, 2104061.

Lee E., Vahidmohammadi A., Yoon Y. S., Beidaghi M., Kim D. J., ACS Sens. 2019, 4, 1603. PubMed

Zhao Q., Zhou W., Zhang M., Wang Y., Duan Z., Tan C., Liu B., Ouyang F., Yuan Z., Tai H., Jiang Y., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2022, 32, 2203528.

Pazniak H., Varezhnikov A. S., Kolosov D. A., Plugin I. A., Vito A. D., Glukhova O. E., Sheverdyaeva P. M., Spasova M., Kaikov I., Kolesnikov E. A., Moras P., Bainyashev A. M., Solomatin M. A., Kiselev I., Wiedwald U., Sysoev V. V., Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2104878. PubMed PMC

Thomas T., Ramos Ramón J. A., Agarwal V., Álvarez‐Méndez A., Martinez J. A. A., Kumar Y., Sanal K. C., Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 2022, 336, 111872.

Naguib M., Mashtalir O., Carle J., Presser V., Lu J., Hultman L., Gogotsi Y., Barsoum M. W., ACS Nano 2012, 6, 1322. PubMed

Geng D., Li M., Bo X., Guo L., Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2016, 237, 581.

Deng B., Wang Z., Chen W., Li J. T., Luong D. X., Carter R. A., Gao G., Yakobson B. I., Zhao Y., Tour J. M., Nat. Commun. 2022, 13, 262. PubMed PMC

Zang X., Shen C., Chu Y., Li B., Wei M., Zhong J., Sanghadasa M., Lin L., Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1800062. PubMed

Zhang D., Sun Y., Li P., Zhang Y., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2016, 8, 14142. PubMed

Shao X., Zhang D., Tang M., Zhang H., Wang Z., Jia P., Zhai J., Chem. Eng. J. 2024, 495, 153676.

Zhang D., Wu J., Li P., Cao Y., J. Mater. Chem. A Mater. 2017, 5, 20666.

Choi J., Chacon B., Park H., Hantanasirisakul K., Kim T., Shevchuk K., Lee J., Kang H., Cho S.‐Y., Kim J., Gogotsi Y., Kim S. J., Jung H.‐T., ACS Sens. 2022, 7, 2225. PubMed

Bayhan Z., El‐Demellawi J. K., Yin J., Khan Y., Lei Y., Alhajji E., Wang Q., Hedhili M. N., Alshareef H. N., Small 2023, 19, 2208253. PubMed

Han Y., Liu Y., Su C., Chen X., Li B., Jiang W., Zeng M., Hu N., Su Y., Zhou Z., Zhu Z.‐G., Yang Z., ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2021, 4, 1626.

Zhang Z., Zhang M., Wu Z., Wang S., Zhang J., Physica Status Solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters 2023, 17, 2300009.

Tai H., Duan Z., He Z., Li X., Xu J., Liu B., Jiang Y., Sens Actuators B Chem 2019, 298, 126874.

Majhi S. M., Ali A., Greish Y. E., El‐Maghraby H. F., Mahmoud S. T., Sci. Rep. 2023, 13, 3114. PubMed PMC

Yang L., Chen W., Yang R., Chen A., Zhang H., Sun Y., Jia Y., Li X., Tang Z., Gui X., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 10755. PubMed

Kuang D., Wang L., Guo X., She Y., Du B., Liang C., Qu W., Sun X., Wu Z., Hu W., He Y., J. Hazard. Mater. 2021, 416, 126171. PubMed

Sun Q., Wang J., Wang X., Dai J., Wang X., Fan H., Wang Z., Li H., Huang X., Huang W., Nanoscale 2020, 12, 16987. PubMed

Liu S., Wang M., Liu G., Wan N., Ge C., Hussain S., Meng H., Wang M., Qiao G., Appl. Surf. Sci. 2021, 567, 150747.

Hussain N., Chae A., Iqbal A., Doo S., Naqvi S. M., Hassan T., Lee A. S., Oh T., Koo C. M., Langmuir 2024, 40, 9170. PubMed

Hou M., Guo S., Yang L.i, Gao J., Hu T.u, Wang X., Li Y., Ceram. Int. 2021, 47, 7728.

Long J., Chen X.i, Mao T., Xue S., Wang Y., Xu Y., Pi W., Lu J., Luo W., Xiong W., ACS Nano 2023, 17, 10033. PubMed

Deshmukh S., Ghosh K., Pykal M., Otyepka M., Pumera M., ACS Nano 2023, 17, 20537. PubMed PMC

Park S., Jeon S., Kim H., Philips J., Oh D., Ahn J., Kim M., Park C., Hong S., Kim J., Jung W., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 33, 2214008.

López M., Hernández D., Laverde J., Pérez S., López D., Waste Biomass Valorization 2020, 11, 2849.

Wang H., Wei Z., Wang L., Li Z., Liu J., Zhu X., Qin F., Zeng X., Li H., Zhang Y., Song M., Gong F., ACS Sens. 2025, 10, 5940. PubMed

Theerthagiri J., Senthil R. A., Buraidah M. H., Madhavan J., Arof A. K., J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 2016, 32, 1339.

Theerthagiri J., Senthil R. A., Buraidah M. H., Madhavan J., Arof A. K., “Synthesis of W, Nb and Ta doped α‐Mo2C and Their Application as Counter Electrode in Dye‐sensitized Solar Cells,” in Materials Today: Proceedings , Elsevier Ltd, Amsterdam, 2016, pp. S65–S72.

Saha A., Paul A., Srivastava D. N., Panda A. B., Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 2018, 43, 21655.

Li C., Wang Z., Liu M., Wang E., Wang B., Xu L., Jiang K., Fan S., Sun Y., Li J., Liu K., Nat. Commun. 2022, 13, 3338. PubMed PMC

Kumar Singh Patel S., Dewangan K., Kumar Srivastav S., Kumar Verma N., Jena P., Kumar Singh A., Gajbhiye N. S., Adv. Mater. Lett. 2018, 9, 585.

Prakash N. G., Dhananjaya M., Narayana A. L., Maseed H., Srikanth V. V. S. S., Hussain O. M., Appl Phys A Mater Sci Process 2019, 125, 488.

Feng X., Tian Y., Xiao L., Wu W., Catal Letters 2020, 150, 2027.

Choi J., Kim Y.‐J., Cho S.‐Y., Park K., Kang H., Kim S. J., Jung H.‐T., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 30, 2003998.

Liang Z., Wang M., Zhang X., Li Z., Du K., Yang J., Lei S.‐Y., Qiao G., Ou J. Z., Liu G., ACS Nano 2024, 18, 3669. PubMed

Bhardwaj R., Hazra A., Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2024, 401, 134967.

Rouse A. A., Bernhard J. B., Sosa E. D., Golden D. E., Appl. Phys. Lett. 2000, 76, 2583.

Li W., Shahbazi M., Xing K., Tesfamichael T., Motta N., Qi D. C., Nanomaterials 2022, 12, 1303. PubMed PMC

Hugosson H. W., Eriksson O., Jansson U., Ruban A. V., Souvatzis P., Abrikosov I. A., Surf. Sci. 2004, 557, 243.

Xing K., Xiang Y., Jiang M., Creedon D. L., Akhgar G., Yianni S. A., Xiao H., Ley L., Stacey A., McCallum J. C., Zhuiykov S., Pakes C. I., Qi D.‐C., Appl. Surf. Sci. 2020, 509, 144890.

Bhardwaj R., Hazra A., Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2022, 372, 132615.

Vishnuraj R., Karuppanan K. K., Aleem M., Pullithadathil B., Nanoscale Adv. 2020, 2, 4785. PubMed PMC