Polyfullerene Thin Films Applied as NH₃ Sensors

Fullerene is considered to be the third carbon allotrope after diamond and graphite. The study of fullerene derivatives has been growing due to their exceptional electron affinity. This work proposes th study of three different fullerene derivatives, being phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), oligo {(phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester)-alt-[1,4-bis(bromomethyl)-2,5-bis(octyloxy)benzene]} (OPCBMMB) and poly {[bispyrrolidino(phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester)]-alt-[2,5-bis(octyloxy)benzene]} (PPCBMB), and their application as NH₃ sensors. Experimental results showed that these materials have a reproducible response to NH₃, with PCBM resulting in the highest observed current peak, followed by OPCBMMB and PPCBMB. These results imply that PCBM, OPCBMMB and PPCBMB can be used to produce NH₃ sensors.

Keywords:
Fullerene; NH₃; Gas sensors