Trimethylamine gas sensor based on quartz crystal microbalance-polyvinyl acetate nanofibers overlaid with maltodextrin Rizky Aflaha (a*), Laila Katriani (a), Ahmad Hasan Asari (b), Nur Laili Indah Sari (a), Aditya Rianjanu (c), Roto Roto (d), and Kuwat Triyana (a*)
(a) Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sekip Utara PO Box BLS 21, 55281 Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
*rizkyaflaha[at]mail.ugm.ac.id
*triyana[at]ugm.ac.id
(b) Research Center for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency, Building 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek Serpong, 15314 Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia.
(c) Department of Physics, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung, 35365, Indonesia.
(d) Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sekip Utara PO Box BLS 21, 55281 Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Abstract
Trimethylamine (TMA) is a compound that occurs as a result of fish spoilage and can irritate human mucous membranes and eyes, hence it is important to monitor its levels in the air. In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based sensor with polyvinyl acetate nanofibers overlaid with maltodextrin was proposed to detect TMA gas. The results of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are included to determine the morphology and chemical composition of the sensor layer. As a result, the sensor has a sensitivity of 0.508 Hz/ppm to TMA gas with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 15.8 ppm, an increase in sensitivity of 8.4 times greater than without maltodextrin. The hydrogen bond between the active group of maltodextrin and TMA gas molecules is believed to be the cause of the increased sensitivity. The sensor also has good reproducibility and reversibility. Furthermore, the sensor has fast response and recovery times of 141 s and 116 s, respectively. In addition, the sensor exhibited superior selectivity over other analytes, and the stability of the sensor during the 20 days of testing was remarkably excellent. Thus, the resulting sensor can be an alternative to the classic detection method for detecting TMA gas.
