MXene/MoS₂ Piezotronic Acetone Gas Sensor for Management of Diabetes

Selectivity and enhanced response remain an issue in gaseous acetone sensing. This report demonstrates MoS₂ on MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) contact based on a low-cost flexible sensor for selective detection of acetone using principle component analysis and binary logistic regression. The piezotronic effect enhances the response of the sensor. The fabricated acetone sensor exhibited an excellent response of ∼5.84% at lower concentrations of acetone ranging from 5 to 30 ppm at room temperature (25 °C). The sensor’s response values with (5%) and without applied external strain were calculated to be approximately 5.84 and 7.21%, respectively. This suggested an increment in the sensing performance under the applied external strain with an improved response time (448 s). A detailed study is presented in terms of comparative performance of MoS₂ and MXene/MoS₂ under strained and unstrained conditions. Principle component analysis and binary logistic regression techniques were used to successfully selectively detect acetone among other eight VOC (volatile organic compound) (toluene, benzene, isopropyl alcohol, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, ethanol, and methanol) gases. A real-time breath analyzer is presented wherein an artificial breath consisting of different humidities and acetone was created, and acetone was sensed using the fabricated sensor. Finally, a proof of concept for the flexible bracelet is presented for the on-site detection of acetone levels in human breath to monitor diabetes at the point-of-care setting. This successful demonstration of the acetone sensor presents future possible avenues for healthcare, food, and industrial research.