Principle of operation and application of optical sensors for ammonia detection

Abstract

Detection of ammonia (NH₃) gas in the atmosphere and industrial environment is important for environmental monitoring, industrial safety and medicine. Ammonia is a colorless, pungent-smelling gas that can pose a threat to human health at high concentrations. Therefore, the development of sensor technologies that allow its rapid, sensitive and accurate detection is one of the urgent issues. In recent years, optical sensors have been widely studied as one of the promising methods for ammonia detection. Optical sensors are based on the change in optical properties that occurs as a result of interaction with the gas. This article analyzes the principle of operation of optical sensors for ammonia detection, their main types, areas of application, advantages and limitations. Also, the possibilities of increasing the sensitivity and selectivity of optical sensors based on modern nanomaterials are considered.