SBIR Phase I: Improved Gas Sensors Using Surface Photochemistry

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9860863 This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project addresses the need for gas microsensors for application in the fields of emissions and environmental monitoring as well as medical applications by demonstrating the use of photochemical reactions to enhance the stability and selectivity of chemiresistive semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) thin film sensors. In this sensor, the target gas interacts chemically with the sensing film and because it is a semiconducting film, very small chemical changes can cause a measurable change in the resistance of the film. Although SMO gas sensing technology is promising because of the highly sensitive transduction mechanism, improvements in selectivity and stability are required before this technology will be practical for many applications. An opportunity exists to make improvements in this technology by using light to replace or enhance the thermal energy currently being used to control surface reactions. In the private and government sectors there are many applications for both in situ gas sensors and gas sensors in control systems. Future product development resulting from the research associated with this proposal could produce a reliable, in situ gas sensor for the detection and monitoring of numerous gases.