The effect of electrospun polymeric fiber active layer on QCM-based sensor toward hydrofluorocarbon gas detection performance

The rapid growth in the use of air-conditioning systems has led to significant emissions of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases into the atmosphere. The ever-increasing concentration of HFCs in the air poses a serious environmental concern, as these gases contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere. This research aims to develop a sensor that is capable of detecting HFC gases. The fabricated sensor was made using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) with a modified surface using an electrospun polymeric fiber active layer. As a result, the fabricated sensor shows a high response toward HFC-134a. Additionally, it also exhibited a fast response time of 58 s, along with excellent repeatability, reversibility, and selectivity. These findings suggest that the proposed QCM sensors are highly effective for detecting HFC-134a and hold great potential for advancing gas sensor technology, particularly in the analysis of hydrocarbon gases.