Contents I. Introduction
Acetic anhydride is a flammable and explosive toxic volatile organic compound (VOC) extensively employed in chemical, medical, and other industries [1]. Acetic anhydride, when in contact with open flames, can cause explosions, leading to safety accidents. Meanwhile, acetic anhydride is toxic and long-term exposure can damage the respiratory system and skin. At high concentrations, it can lead to shock or even death. In addition, acetic anhydride is an important precursor to produce heroin, so the control of acetic anhydride contributes significantly to reducing the spread of heroin. To ensure industrial production safety and avoid drug proliferation, rapid and convenient detection of acetic anhydride is of great significance. Semiconductor sensors have broad prospects in the production and daily life of the Internet of Things industry owing to their benefits of low cost, good portability, and rapid response compared to other detection technologies, such as quartz crystal microbalance [2], [3], electrochemistry [4], and semiconductor sensors [5], [6]. The response of semiconductor sensors to gases is due to a chemical reaction between the gas and the sensor resulting in a change in resistance. Typically, the measured gas is first adsorbed onto the surface of the sensitive materials. Subsequently, it undergoes decomposition and consumes the adsorbed oxygen through catalytic cleavage. This process will result in charge transfer and a change in resistance, leading to a response. There are already many semiconductor sensors widely employed for the detection of VOCs. However, there are presently limited reports on acetic anhydride sensors, which may be attributed to the lower reaction activity of acetic anhydride. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design and develop high-performance acetic anhydride sensors.
