Nanowerk March 4, 2021
The wrong amounts or incorrect use of these fumigants like methyl iodide can be harmful to people and degrade the ozone layer. Researchers in Australia borrowed a new technology that is being used to improve solar power – synthetic nanocrystals based on a perovskite structure – and turned it into a detection method. The presence of methyl iodide causes the nanocrystal emission to shift from green to yellow, and then on to orange, red, and finally deep red, depending on the amount of fumigant present. They demonstrated that the change in colour is dependent on the perovskite nanocrystal and methyl iodide concentrations. According to the researchers the mechanism has the widest range, highest sensitivity and quickest response ever achieved for a technique that does not rely on expensive laboratory instrumentation, producing its results in around five seconds at room temperature. The findings will provide a platform for building a test device that can be used in real-world applications…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract. Credit: ACS Nano 2021, 15, 1, 1454–1464, January 13, 2021