Essigmann and Swager labs publish on nanotubes sensor technology for detecting nitrosamines

N-Nitrosamines are environmental genotoxicants that are widely encountered in air, water, and food. Contamination of indoor and outdoor air with N-nitrosamines has been reported on many occasions. Conventional detection of airborne N-nitrosamines requires sophisticated instrumentation, field sampling, and laboratory analysis. Herein, we report ultrasensitive carbon nanotube based chemiresistive sensors utilizing a cobalt(III) tetraphenylporphyrin selector element for the detection of N-nitrosamines. Concentrations as low as 1 ppb N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, and N-nitrosodibutylamine were detected. We also demonstrate the integration of these sensors with a field deployable sensing node wherein the sensor response can be read online remotely.