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Advanced Physical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2025 | Viewed by 8150

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and Systems of the Education Ministry of China, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: MEMS sensors; self-powered sensing; optoelectronic integrated sensing; flexible sensor technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
Interests: microfluidics and nanofluidics; biosensors; SERS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, light intensity, electric field, magnetic field, and electromagnetic radiations are physical entities which have a great influence on people’s safety. With the rapid development of electronics and materials, some physical sensors have been invented for environmental monitoring, including temperature, humidity, wind, light intensity, and magnetic field. However, demands for high-performance sensors with a small size, low power consumption, high sensitivity, and high integration are still increasingly becoming a hot topic. In addition, it is difficult to measure the electric field and electromagnetic radiations using specific small sensors, mainly because of the lack of efficient sensing materials and strong interferences from the environment. This Special Issue, entitled "Advanced Physical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring”, aims to collect recent advances in designing physical sensors with a high performance and the integration of different sensors together. Both research papers and review articles are welcome to be submitted. We eagerly welcome submissions that promote developments in this research field, such as high-performance MEMS sensors, new sensing materials, novel detection principles, and the integration of different sensors.

Dr. Yizhou Ye
Prof. Dr. Shunbo Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • physical sensor
  • environmental monitoring
  • MEMS
  • high performance

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2314 KiB  
Article
TDLAS-Based Rapid and Accurate Measurement of Near-Ambient Temperature Using Near-Infrared Vibrational Water Vapor Transitions
by Jiaao Zhang and Jiao Gao
Sensors 2025, 25(9), 2839; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25092839 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 130
Abstract
Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) of water vapor transitions has been used to effectively measure temperature under high temperature and pressure conditions. However, due to the weak variation in transmittance and low signal-to-noise ratio, applying the same technique to measure temperature in [...] Read more.
Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) of water vapor transitions has been used to effectively measure temperature under high temperature and pressure conditions. However, due to the weak variation in transmittance and low signal-to-noise ratio, applying the same technique to measure temperature in near-ambient environments is difficult. This study reports the rapid and accurate measurement of near-ambient temperature through monitoring water vapor transitions with a three-point measurement method based on TDLAS. The transmission spectra of two selected water vibrational transitions at 1389.01 and 1389.89 nm are investigated, and the monotonic variations in the dip area are validated both theoretically and experimentally. The results show that by using the proper regression parameter (RatiodipA/RatiodipB)2, the temperature measurement time can be reduced to 40 s, with an uncertainty as low as 0.39 °C and a p-value as small as 1.98 × 10−13. This work contributes to rapid and accurate non-invasive temperature measurement in near-ambient complex environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Physical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring)
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11 pages, 16442 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of Three-Dimensional Multi-Directional Piezoelectric Wind Energy Harvester
by Zonghao Chen, Xiaohan Liao, Shen Li, Shu Pu, Pengfei Li, Dingkun He, Yizhou Ye and Xuefeng He
Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7757; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237757 - 4 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 864
Abstract
The wind-induced vibration energy harvester is a type of ideal power source for wireless sensor nodes. To adapt to the uncertainty of wind direction in natural environments, this paper proposes a three-dimensional multi-directional piezoelectric wind energy harvester (WEH), whose bluff body is an [...] Read more.
The wind-induced vibration energy harvester is a type of ideal power source for wireless sensor nodes. To adapt to the uncertainty of wind direction in natural environments, this paper proposes a three-dimensional multi-directional piezoelectric wind energy harvester (WEH), whose bluff body is an external shell with the shape like a lampshade, supported by three internal piezoelectric composite beams. A harvester prototype was made using 3D printing technology, and its multi-directional energy harvesting characteristics were systematically tested in a wind tunnel. Experiments show that it can harvest wind energy from any direction in three-dimensional space. When the wind speed is about 15 m/s and the wind direction changes in the horizontal plane, the minimum to maximum total average output power ratio is about 0.84. This work provides an experimental basis for the future development of three-dimensional multi-directional WEHs to some extent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Physical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring)
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Review

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14 pages, 2739 KiB  
Review
The Status of Environmental Electric Field Detection Technologies: Progress and Perspectives
by Qingsong Liu, Zhaoqing Lan, Wei Guo, Jun Deng, Xiang Peng, Minghe Chi and Shunbo Li
Sensors 2024, 24(17), 5532; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24175532 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4319
Abstract
The detection of electric fields in the environment has great importance for understanding various natural phenomena, environmental monitoring, and ensuring human safety. This review paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art technologies utilized for sensing electric fields in the environment, the challenges [...] Read more.
The detection of electric fields in the environment has great importance for understanding various natural phenomena, environmental monitoring, and ensuring human safety. This review paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art technologies utilized for sensing electric fields in the environment, the challenges encountered, and the diverse applications of this sensing technology. The technology is divided into three categories according to the differences in the physical mechanism: the electro-optic effect-based measurement system, the MEMS-based sensor, and the newly reported quantum effect-based sensors. The principles of the underlying methods are comprehensively introduced, and the tentative applications for each type are discussed. Detailed comparisons of the three different techniques are identified and discussed with regard to the instrument, its sensitivity, and bandwidth. Additionally, the challenges faced in environmental electric field sensing, the potential solutions, and future development directions are addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Physical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring)
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