The research team consisting of Professor  Joon Hak Oh (CE), Moo Yeol Lee (CE M.S.-Ph.D.  integrated candidate) and Professor Bumjoon Kim (KAIST), announced that they had developed technology to produce flexible  sensors to sense  organic solvents. This study is a cover thesis of the latest Advanced Materials, a world-renowned journal of material science.
The sensor can immediately detect toxic substances in the air, water, and even in organic solvents  and can be applied to wearable smart-monitoring devices. The sensor was also able to successfully sense toluene, which is responsible for sick house syndrome, and methanol. The sensor is 10 times more sensitive than previous sensors due to an added container molecular structure on the surface of P3HT, which was used as material for existing organic semiconductor. The sensor is expected to be useful in checking leakage of chemical materials in factories or laboratories and has great potential because it can be easily used in existing facilities. Prof. Oh said “The technology solves a dilemma with organic semiconductor sensors and improves their stability and reliability. This sensor is also the key to satisfy the demands of both high sensitivity and high selectivity.”