Semiconductor gas sensors are widely used in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, etc., yet their performance is often hindered by issues such as cross-response, poor stability, and low sensitivity. Given the material-dependent nature of these limitations, the targeted optimization of the sensing properties remains a core challenge in the field. Gas sensing primarily involves adsorption and surface reactions, with performance critically governed by interfacial reaction kinetics at the gas-semiconductor interface. A deep understanding and precise modulation of these interfacial mechanisms are therefore essential for performance enhancement. This review systematically discusses how interfacial reactions influence key sensing parameters, including sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and dynamic response. Strategies for regulating these interfacial processes are analyzed to inform the rational design of high-performance sensors. Additionally, state-of-the-art characterization techniques and theoretical approaches for probing interfacial mechanisms are summarized, offering technical support for elucidating microscopic reaction pathways. By integrating current advances and challenges, this review establishes the fundamental links between material properties, interfacial chemistry, and sensing behavior, thereby providing a theoretical framework and design guidance for the next-generation semiconductor gas sensors.
Dai et al. (2026) studied this question.