Nanomaterials‐based gas sensors of SF 6 decomposed species for evaluating the operation status of high‐voltage insulation devices

In recent years, many novel sensing nanomaterials were explored experimentally and theoretically as chemical gas sensors to detect sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) decomposed species with rapid response, high sensitivity and selectivity, as well as low cost, in order to estimate and guarantee the operation status of SF6 insulation devices. However, there has been no systemic review yet to comprehensively understand their sensing mechanism and conclude their sensing application. Such kinds of nanomaterials include traditional carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotube and graphene, metal oxides such as SnO2, ZnO and TiO2, transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2 monolayer and MoTe2 monolayer as well as graphene-like InN monolayer. A systemic review would be significant to give a profound insight into the exploration of nanomaterial-based chemical gas sensors in the field of electrical engineering and to help youth scholars first stepping in this field rapidly master the progress inside. Thus, the authors attempt to complete this review here. They are hopeful that this review could provide some guidance to fulfil such purpose in the near future, and it would be full of perspective to explore more novel nanomaterials as defect indicators in SF6 insulated devices. Furthermore, it is their hope that this review could broaden the sensing application of admirable nanomaterials in many fields such as environmental monitoring and pollutant scavenging.