Metal-Oxide-Decorated Mesoporous Silica Chemiresistors for Exhaled Biomarker Detection

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide A metal-oxide-decorated mesoporous silica (MOMS) chemiresistor platform enables the selective detection of disease-specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath. Functionalization of these mesoporous structures with metals and metal oxides facilitates the detection of a wide range of VOCs. To create a sensing architecture with a bicontinuous morphology that optimizes molecular diffusion and electron transport pathways, we employ physically confined polymerization-induced phase separation (PC-PIPS) to fabricate template-directed mesoporous structures with controlled film thicknesses ranging from 1 to 5 μm. Incorporation of metal oxides (SnO 2, ZnO) and noble metals (Pt, Au) forms p–n heterojunctions, enhancing sensitivity and selectivity through modulation of electron depletion layers. The MOMS chemiresistors demonstrate di…