MOFs optimised for electronic olfactory devices

If brought to fruition, the research led by Cory Simon, assistant professor of chemical engineering in Oregon State University’s College of Engineering, could lead to electronic noses that also diagnose diseases and detect safety threats. Simon collaborated with chemical engineering professor Chih-Hung Chang on the research, which is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

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According to OSU, MOFs have nanosized pores and selectively adsorb gases. This is said to make them ideal for use in sensor arrays because of their tuneability, enabling engineers to use a range of materials that allows an array of MOF-based sensors to deliver detailed information.

Depending on which components make up a gas, different amounts of the gas will adsorb in each MOF, so the composition of a gas can be inferred by measuring the adsorbed gas in the array of MOFs using micro-scale balances. The challenge, however, is that all MOFs adsorb all gases.