Search Results (25)

Metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) hold great promise for electronic devices such as gas sensors. The utilization of ZnO as a conductometric gas sensor material can be traced back to its early stages; however, its application has primarily been limited to high-temperature environments. A gas sensor based on highly porous and interconnected 3D networks of ZnO tetrapod (ZnO-T) micro-nano structures was fabricated via an easy chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Homemade instruments were utilized to evaluate the gas-sensing of the sample at room temperature. It exhibited good gas-sensing at room temperature, particularly with a response of up to 338.80% toward 1600 ppm ethanol, while also demonstrating remarkable repeatability, stability, and selectivity. Moreover, the unique gas-sensing properties of ZnO-T at room temperature can be reasonably explained by considering the effect of van der Waals forces in physical adsorption and the synergistic effect of carrier concentration and mobility. The aforementioned statement presents an opportunity for the advancement of gas sensors utilizing ZnO at room temperature. Full article

Accurate hydrogen leakage detection is a major requirement for the safe and widespread integration of this fuel in modern energy production devices, such as fuel cells. Quasi-1D nanowires of seven different metal oxides (CuO, WO₃, Nb-added WO₃, SnO₂, ZnO, α-Bi₂O₃, NiO) were integrated into a conductometric sensor array to evaluate the hydrogen-sensing performances in the presence of interfering gaseous compounds, namely carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, methane, acetone, and ethanol, at different operating temperatures (200–400 °C). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to data extracted from the array, demonstrating the ability to discriminate hydrogen over other interferent compounds. Moreover, a reduced array formed by only five sensors is proposed. This compact array may be easily implementable into artificial olfaction systems used in real hydrogen detection applications. Full article

The rapid, inexpensive, and on-site detection of bacterial contaminants using highly sensitive and specific microfluidic sensors is attracting substantial attention in water quality monitoring applications. Cell-imprinted polymers (CIPs) have emerged as robust, cost-effective, and versatile recognition materials with selective binding sites for capturing whole bacteria. However, electrochemical transduction of the binding event to a measurable signal within a microfluidic device to develop easy-to-use, compact, portable, durable, and affordable sensors remains a challenge. For this paper, we employed CIP-functionalized microwires (CIP-MWs) with an affinity towards E. coli and integrated them into a low-cost microfluidic sensor to measure the conductometric transduction of CIP–bacteria binding events. The sensor comprised two CIP-MWs suspended perpendicularly to a PDMS microchannel. The inter-wire electrical resistance of the microchannel was measured before, during, and after exposure of CIP-MWs to bacteria. A decline in the inter-wire resistance of the sensor after 30 min of incubation with bacteria was detected. Resistance change normalization and the subsequent analysis of the sensor’s dose-response curve between 0 to 10⁹ CFU/mL bacteria revealed the limits of detection and quantification of 2.1 × 10⁵ CFU/mL and 7.3 × 10⁵ CFU/mL, respectively. The dynamic range of the sensor was 10⁴ to 10⁷ CFU/mL where the bacteria counts were statistically distinguishable from each other. A linear fit in this range resulted in a sensitivity of 7.35 μS per CFU/mL. Experiments using competing Sarcina or Listeria cells showed specificity of the sensor towards the imprinted E. coli cells. The reported CIP-MW-based conductometric microfluidic sensor can provide a cost-effective, durable, portable, and real-time solution for the detection of pathogens in water. Full article

The versatility of metal complexes of corroles has raised interest in the use of these molecules as elements of chemical sensors. The tuning of the macrocycle properties via synthetic modification of the different components of the corrole ring, such as functional groups, the molecular skeleton, and coordinated metal, allows for the creation of a vast library of corrole-based sensors. However, the scarce conductivity of most of the aggregates of corroles limits the development of simple conductometric sensors and requires the use of optical or mass transducers that are rather more cumbersome and less prone to be integrated into microelectronics systems. To compensate for the scarce conductivity, corroles are often used to functionalize the surface of conductive materials such as graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, or conductive polymers. Alternatively, they can be incorporated into heterojunction devices where they are interfaced with a conductive material such as a phthalocyanine. Herewith, we introduce two heterostructure sensors combining lutetium bisphthalocyanine (LuPc₂) with either 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl) corrolato Cu (1) or 5,10,15-tris(4-methoxyphenyl)corrolato Cu (2). The optical spectra show that after deposition, corroles maintain their original structure. The conductivity of the devices reveals an energy barrier for interfacial charge transport for 1/LuPc₂, which is a heterojunction device. On the contrary, only ohmic contacts are observed in the 2/LuPc₂ device. These different electrical properties, which result from the different electron-withdrawing or -donating substituents on corrole rings, are also manifested by the opposite response with respect to ammonia (NH₃), with 1/LuPc₂ behaving as an n-type conductor and 2/LuP_C2 behaving as a p-type conductor. Both devices are capable of detecting NH₃ down to 10 ppm at room temperature. Furthermore, the sensors show high sensitivity with respect to relative humidity (RH) but with a reversible and fast response in the range of 30–60% RH. Full article

In the present study, the development of a conductometric gas sensor based on Al,Ca-doped zinc oxide composite which is finalized to the detection of formaldehyde (HCHO) at a low concentration in air is investigated. The electrical and sensing properties of the composite based on ZnO doped with different loadings of Al and/or Ca (from 0 up to 5 at%) were evaluated. The gas-sensing mechanism of Al,Ca-doped zinc oxide nanocomposite-based sensors was also discussed. The optimized 3%Al,3%Ca-ZnO sensor displayed a formaldehyde response of 3.5 (@ 4 ppm HCHO/air) and an experimental low detection limit of 125 ppb HCHO/air, at the operating temperature of 400 °C. The sensor was also shown to be selective to HCHO with respect to many interferent indoor gases, but NO₂ changed the baseline resistance in an opposite way compared to the target gas. The developed device for monitoring HCHO in indoor and workplace environments has the advantage of a simple planar structure and can be easily fabricated for mass production by using low-cost materials and easy fabrication methods. Full article

A two-dimensional (2D) Dy₂O₃-Pd-PDA/rGO heterojunction nanocomposite has been synthesised and tested for hydrogen (H₂) gas sensing under various functioning conditions, including different H₂ concentrations (50 ppm up to 6000 ppm), relative humidity (up to 25 %RH) and working temperature (up to 200 °C). The material characterisation of Dy₂O₃-Pd-PDA/rGO nanocomposite performed using various techniques confirms uniform distribution of Pd NPs and 2D Dy₂O₃ nanostructures on multi-layered porous structure of PDA/rGO nanosheets (NSs) while forming a nanocomposite. Moreover, fundamental hydrogen sensing mechanisms, including the effect of UV illumination and relative humidity (%RH), are investigated. It is observed that the sensing performance is improved as the operating temperature increases from room temperature (RT = 30 °C) to the optimum temperature of 150 °C. The humidity effect investigation revealed a drastic enhancement in sensing parameters as the %RH increased up to 20%. The highest response was found to be 145.2% towards 5000 ppm H₂ at 150 °C and 20 %RH under UV illumination (365 nm). This work offers a highly sensitive and selective hydrogen sensor based on a novel 2D nanocomposite using an environmentally friendly and energy-saving synthesis approach, enabling us to detect hydrogen molecules experimentally down to 50 ppm. Full article

In this study, we demonstrate the advantages of two advanced sputtering techniques for the preparation of a thin-film conductometric gas sensor. We combined tungsten oxide (WO₃) thin films with other materials to achieve enhanced sensorial behavior towards hydrogen. Thin films of WO₃ were prepared using the DC and HiPIMS technique, which allowed us to tune the phase composition and crystallinity of the oxide by changing the deposition parameters. The second material was then added on-top of these films. We used the copper tungstate CuWO₄ in the form of nano-islands deposited by reactive rf sputtering and Pd particles formed during conventional dc sputtering. The specimens were tested for their response to a time-varied hydrogen concentration in synthetic air at various temperatures. The sensitivity and response time were evaluated. The performance of the individual films is presented as well as the details of the synthesis. Advanced magnetron techniques (such as HiPIMS) allowed us to tune the property of the film to improve its sensorial behavior. The method is compatible with the silicon electronics industry and consists of a few steps that do not require any wet technique, and the films can be used in an as-deposited state. Therefore, sensorial nanostructured materials prepared using magnetron sputtering are very suitable for use in miniaturized electronic devices. Full article

This article discusses the main uses of 1D and 2D nanomaterials in the development of conductometric gas sensors based on metal oxides. It is shown that, along with the advantages of these materials, which can improve the parameters of gas sensors, there are a number of disadvantages that significantly limit their use in the development of devices designed for the sensor market. Full article

Food preservatives are compounds that are used for the treatment of food to improve the shelf life. In the food industry, it is necessary to monitor all processes for both safety and quality of the product. An electronic nose (or e-nose) is a biomimetic olfactory system that could find numerous industrial applications, including food quality control. Commercial electronic noses are based on sensor arrays composed by a combination of different sensors, which include conductometric metal oxide devices. Metal oxide nanowires are considered among the most promising materials for the fabrication of novel sensing devices, which can enhance the overall performances of e-noses in food applications. The present work reports the fabrication of a novel sensor array based on SnO₂, CuO, and WO₃ nanowires deposited on top of μHPs provided by ams Sensor Solutions Germany GmbH. The array was tested for the discrimination of four typical compounds added to food products or used for their treatment to increase the shelf life: ethanol, acetone, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. Results are very promising; the sensors array was able to operate for a long time, consuming less than 50 mW for each single sensor, and principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that the device was able to discriminate between different compounds. Full article

In this contribution we present a highly miniaturized device that integrates a photoactive material with a highly efficient LED light source. This so-called micro light plate configuration (µLP) allows for maximizing the irradiance impinging on the photoactive material, with a minimum power consumption, excellent uniformity and accurate control of the illumination. We demonstrate that, with the µLP approach, very efficient low power gas sensors can be built, and provide a detailed analysis of the rationales behind such improvement, as well as a quantitative model and a set of design rules to implement it in further integrated applications. As a demonstrator, we will describe a NO₂ gas sensor operating in the part per billion range (ppb) with microwatt (µW) power consumption. These are the best figures reported to date in conductometric metal-oxides (MOX) sensors operated with light (instead of heat) at room temperature. Full article

In this work, we investigated the sensing performance of epitaxial graphene on Si-face 4H-SiC (EG/SiC) for liquid-phase detection of heavy metals (e.g., Pb and Cd), showing fast and stable response and low detection limit. The sensing platform proposed includes 3D-printed microfluidic devices, which incorporate all features required to connect and execute lab-on-chip (LOC) functions. The obtained results indicate that EG exhibits excellent sensing activity towards Pb and Cd ions. Several concentrations of Pb²⁺ solutions, ranging from 125 nM to 500 µM, were analyzed showing Langmuir correlation between signal and Pb²⁺ concentrations, good stability, and reproducibility over time. Upon the simultaneous presence of both metals, sensor response is dominated by Pb²⁺ rather than Cd²⁺ ions. To explain the sensing mechanisms and difference in adsorption behavior of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions on EG in water-based solutions, we performed van-der-Waals (vdW)-corrected density functional theory (DFT) calculations and non-covalent interaction (NCI) analysis, extended charge decomposition analysis (ECDA), and topological analysis. We demonstrated that Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions act as electron-acceptors, enhancing hole conductivity of EG, due to charge transfer from graphene to metal ions, and Pb²⁺ ions have preferential ability to binding with graphene over cadmium. Electrochemical measurements confirmed the conductometric results, which additionally indicate that EG is more sensitive to lead than to cadmium. Full article

Self-heating operation, or the use of the resistance-probing signal to warm up and control the temperature of nanowire devices, has been the subject of research for more than a decade. The state-of-the-art shows that this approach is serving to lower the power demand in temperature-activated devices, especially in conductometric gas sensors, but the simplicity of eliminating the heating element comes with the complexity of integrating 1-dimensional nanomaterials in electronic devices. The advantages of the efficient self-heating effect in nanowires have already been probed in a broad range of systems and materials. But when it comes to transfer this operating principle to new systems and materials natural doubts arise: how to do it?, how much savings in power will be achieved? We will address these questions in this review contribution. Full article

Arrays of 1D-vertically arranged gallium nitride (GaN) nanorods (NRs) are fabricated on sapphire and connected to both bottom and freestanding top contacts. This shows a fully validated top-down method to obtain ordered arrays of high-surface-to-volume elements that can be electrically interrogated and used, e.g., for sensing applications. Specifically, these will be used as highly integrated heating elements for conductometric gas sensors in self-heating operation. Detailed fabrication and processing steps involving inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE), KOH-etching, interspace filling, and electron-beam physical vapor deposition technologies are discussed, in which they can be well adjusted and combined to obtain vertical GaN NRs as thin as 300 nm in arbitrarily large and regular arrays (e.g., 1 × 1, 3 × 3, 9 × 10 elements). These developed devices are proposed as a novel sensor platform for temperature-activated measurements that can be produced at a large scale offering low-power, and very stable temperature control. Full article

We developed an integrated platform to build up conductometric sensors with controlled illumination. Our device contains a miniaturized indium gallium nitride (InGaN) LED as a light source, and a set of interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) in close contact with the LED. The sensor material is later deposited on top of the IDE, to monitor its resistance. In this configuration, all the light emitted by the LED is collected by the sensor material, leading to a very efficient photoexcitation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach building a photoactivated gas sensor based on ZnO operating with as little as 100 μW. Full article