New ultra-sensitive ammonia sensor paves way for portable, self-powered wearable devices to prevent toxic gas exposure

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JULY 14, 2026

In a significant advancement towards improving industrial safety and environmental monitoring, scientists have developed an ultra-sensitive ammonia sensing platform capable of detecting toxic ammonia gas at extremely low concentrations while operating efficiently at room temperature. The breakthrough could pave the way for portable, self-powered, and wearable devices that provide real-time protection against hazardous gas exposure.

Ammonia is extensively used across industries including fertilizer production, refrigeration, chemical manufacturing, and agriculture. However, accidental exposure to the gas can cause severe irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system, while prolonged exposure may lead to serious health complications. Continuous monitoring of ammonia is therefore critical for ensuring workplace safety, protecting the environment, and safeguarding public health.

Researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have addressed this challenge by developing a highly sensitive gas sensor based on a hybrid vanadium oxide-vanadium sulfide (VOx/VS₂) heterostructure.

The sensor has been engineered through a controlled surface transformation process that creates abundant active sites for ammonia adsorption while enhancing charge transport within the sensing layer. This synergistic design enables rapid, highly selective, and reliable ammonia detection under ambient conditions.

The newly developed sensor demonstrated remarkable sensitivity by detecting ammonia concentrations as low as 319 parts per billion (ppb)—well below occupational safety limits. It also showed excellent selectivity against other gases, stable performance over repeated sensing cycles, long-term reliability exceeding ten weeks, and effective operation across a wide range of ammonia concentrations.

Unlike many conventional gas sensors that require elevated temperatures or external activation, the new device functions efficiently at room temperature, significantly reducing energy consumption and making it easier to deploy in diverse environments.

Taking the technology beyond the laboratory, the research team led by Prof. Angappane Subramanian, accompanied by Dr. Vishnu G. Nath, along with Ankur Verma, Abhijit Paul, and Dr. Subash Cherumannil Karumuthil, translated the sensing platform into practical prototypes for real-world use.

Among the innovations is a portable threshold-triggered ammonia monitoring system that provides instant alerts whenever gas concentrations exceed predefined safety limits. The system automatically categorises environmental conditions into safe, warning, and danger zones, enabling users to quickly assess risk without requiring technical expertise. Such devices could prove invaluable in industrial plants, chemical storage facilities, laboratories, and agricultural settings where ammonia leakage remains a major hazard.

The researchers also demonstrated a self-powered ammonia detection device by integrating the sensor with a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator. The system harvests mechanical energy generated through simple human movements and converts it into electrical power, eliminating the need for an external power source. This innovation offers significant potential for autonomous environmental monitoring in remote and resource-constrained locations.

Further expanding its applications, the team successfully fabricated flexible and wearable versions of the sensor on polymer, paper, and textile substrates. These lightweight devices retained their sensing performance even under bending, twisting, and folding, underscoring their suitability for next-generation wearable electronics.

To showcase the technology's versatility, the researchers developed prototype smart bands, smart-home warning systems, and electronic textile platforms capable of monitoring ammonia exposure in real time, opening new possibilities for personal safety and intelligent environmental sensing.

The findings, published in the journal ACS Sensors, demonstrate how advanced nanomaterials combined with innovative device engineering can deliver practical technologies for protecting human health and the environment. The successful development of portable, self-powered, and wearable ammonia sensor prototypes marks a promising step towards next-generation gas monitoring solutions for industrial, environmental, and personal safety applications.