Nitrous Oxide Is No Laughing Matter: A Historical Review of Nitrous Oxide Gas-Sensing Capabilities Highlighting the Need for Further Exploration.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O), also known as laughing gas, is arguably one of the most detrimental greenhouse gases while concurrently being overlooked by the public. Specifically, N 2 O is ∼300 times more damaging than its better-known counterpart carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and has a longer-lived lifetime in the atmosphere than CO 2 . There exist both natural and anthropogenic sources of N 2 O, and thus, for a better understanding of sources, capture, and decomposition, it is pivotal to identify N 2 O within the nitrogen biosphere. This review covers the past and current low-cost N 2 O gas-sensing technologies, focusing specifically on low-cost metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs), chemiresistive and electrochemical sensors that can provide spatial and temporal monitoring of N 2 O emissions from various sources. Additionally, compositional modifications to MOsS using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are discussed, potentially facilitating new awareness and efforts for increased sensing performance and functionality in N 2 O detection.