Indian scientists develop new sensor-connected devices to prevent ammonia gas exposure
New Delhi, July 14
Indian scientists have developed an advanced ammonia sensing platform that detects harmful ammonia at extremely low concentrations while operating at room temperature, an official statement said on Tuesday.
The device was created at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Ammonia with wide application across sectors can cause severe irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory system on exposure, while prolonged exposure may lead to serious health complications.
This device addresses this challenge, through a newly-designed highly sensitive gas sensor based on a hybrid vanadium oxide-vanadium sulfide (VOx/VS2) heterostructure.
The sensor was engineered through a controlled surface transformation process that creates abundant active sites for ammonia adsorption while simultaneously enhancing charge transport within the sensing layer. This synergistic combination significantly improves sensing performance, enabling rapid and highly selective detection of ammonia under ambient conditions.
Flexible and wearable versions of the sensor were successfully fabricated on polymer, paper, and textile substrates.
These lightweight devices maintained sensing capability even under bending, twisting, and folding conditions, demonstrating their suitability for next-generation wearable electronics.
Prototype smart bands, smart-home warning systems, and electronic textile platforms were also developed to showcase potential applications in personal safety monitoring and intelligent environmental sensing.
Ammonia has uses in fertilizer production, refrigeration, chemical manufacturing, and agriculture. The sensor demonstrated detection down to 319 parts per billion, well below occupational safety limits.
It also exhibited excellent selectivity against other common gases, stable operation over repeated sensing cycles, long-term reliability exceeding ten weeks, and effective performance across a broad concentration range.
Unlike many conventional gas sensors that require elevated temperatures or external activation sources, the newly developed device operates efficiently at room temperature, reducing energy consumption and simplifying deployment.
A portable threshold-triggered monitoring system was developed to provide immediate alerts when ammonia concentrations exceed predefined safety levels. The device automatically classifies environmental conditions into safe, warning, and danger zones, allowing rapid interpretation and response without requiring technical expertise.
Such sensing devices can be deployed in industrial facilities, storage units, laboratories, and agricultural environments where ammonia leakage poses a significant risk, the statement noted.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Very promising innovation! But I hope these devices are affordable and reach the small farmers and small-scale industries who need them most. So many innovations stay in labs or become too expensive for common use. Let's hope the government helps in mass production and distribution. 🤞
Good work by CeNS Bengaluru. We need more such applied research that directly impacts safety and quality of life. The 319 ppb detection limit and 10-week reliability is impressive. Reminds me of those tragic accidents in cold storage units — this could save lives. Well done, team! 👏
Great to see Indian labs leading in advanced materials science. The hybrid VOx/VS2 heterostructure is elegant engineering. I work in chemical safety in the US and sensors are always a pain — high temp, high power, frequent calibration. This room temperature approach with paper/textile compatibility is genuinely innovative. Kudos to the team for publishing and prototyping so thoroughly.
Hoping this tech gets licensed to Indian startups quickly! We have so many MSMEs and cold storage units in places like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that work with ammonia daily. A simple wearable band that alerts before exposure becomes dangerous could prevent countless health issues. Let's not just publish papers — let's deploy solutions. 🇮🇳💪
Impressive research! The flexibility across polymer, paper, and textile substrates opens up so many use cases — from industrial PPE to agricultural monitoring to even home safety for those using ammonia-based cleaning products. India's DST labs are doing some really practical work. Hope this gets commercial
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