Perovskite@graphene nanohybrids for breath analysis: A proof-of-concept

Nanohybrids comprising graphene loaded with perovskite nanocrystals have been demonstrated as a potential option for sensing applications. Specifically, their combination presents an interesting synergistic effect owing to greater sensitivity when bare graphene is decorated with perovskites. In addition, since the main drawback of perovskites is their instability towards ambient moisture, the hydrophobic properties of graphene can protect them, enabling their use for ambient monitoring, as previously reported. However not limited to this, the present work provides a proof-of-concept to likewise employ them in a potential application as breath analysis for the detection of health-related biomarkers. There is a growing demand for sensitive, non-invasive, miniaturized, and inexpensive devices able to detect specific gas molecules in human breath. Sensors gathering these requirements may be employed as a screening tool for reliable and fast detection of potential health issues. Moreover, perovskite@graphene nanohybrids present additional properties highly desirable as the capability to be operated at room temperature (i.e., reduced power consumption), reversible interaction with gases (i.e., reusability), and long-term stability. Within this perspective, the combination of both nanomaterials, perovskite nanocrystals and graphene, possibly includes the main requirements needed, being a promising option to be employed in the next generation of sensing devices.This research was supported in part by MICINN and FEDER via grants no. RTI2018-101580-B-I00, by AGAUR under grant 2017SGR418 and by Belgian Fund for Scientific Research under FRFC contract J001019. J.C.C. gratefully acknowledges a postdoctoral fellowship from URV. R.G.A. acknowledges an FPI scholarship from MINECO TEC2015-74405-JIN and MAT2015-69669-P. P.A. acknowledges the financial support from the Spanish Government through “Severo Ochoa” (SEV-2016-0683, MINECO) and PGC2018-099744-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER). E.L. is supported by the Catalan institution for Research and Advanced Studies via the 2018 Edition of the ICREA Academia Award. C.B. is a research associate at the National Funds for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS, Belgium)