Resistive sensors for continuous monitoring of air pollution

Deterioration of the quality of the air we breathe is leading to an increase in fatalities and morbidities. The primary effort that is to be taken to control the outdoor pollution and implement check measures, as and when needed, is to continuously monitor the environment. This can only be done by developing sensors that are portable and can operate for a long time continuously and autonomously without requiring frequent calibrations. Resistive sensors owing to their miniaturized dimensions, simple operation, good sensitivity, and low cost are emerging as one of the promising candidates for air-quality monitoring (AQM). This chapter describes the different components associated with resistive sensors-sensing materials, pattern recognition algorithms, interfacing electronics, introduces the existing challenges in resistive sensor devices, and discusses their potential remedies. The concepts of electronic nose (E-nose) and wearables that are the future of resistive sensors for any application, including AQM have also been described briefly. It is believed that this chapter might aid in instigating focussed research on each front of the resistive sensors and thus, may help in leading the efforts to develop portable AQMs using resistive sensors.