Indoor levels of carbon dioxide (700 parts per million and up), when coupled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under most temperature and humidity environments, can induce fatigue, nausea, nasal irritation, and related human health symptoms. Toward the realization of rapid, inexpensive, passive, and visually-obvious indoor gas sensors, we present dye-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which employ distinct color changes to measure indoor carbon dioxide concentrations. Our latest generation of the sensor, based on the coupling of multiple dyes blended with MOF precursor solutions, produces unique colors upon exposure to CO2 with no interference with select VOCs, and provides an enhanced resistance to water interference under humid atmospheres compared to earlier generations. In-situ UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements are in progress to quantify these sensors' selectivity to CO2 in multi-component environments characteristic of indoor air.
Updated: Aug 19, 2022
Project ended: Sep 27, 2022