SBIR Phase I: A Novel Bulk Acoustic Wave Oil Quality Sensor

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将展示开发一种新型声波传感器作为机动车和工业机械油质监测器的可行性。通常情况下，石油质量不会进行现场监测。确保机油质量的最常见方法是在指定的时间或里程后更换机油。研究的目标是确定传感器的理想激励几何形状，充分描述传感器对接触液体的机械和电气扰动的特性，并证明该传感器可以可靠地监测发动机油质量。第一阶段的工作将证明，该传感器是对标准石英晶体微天平(QCMS)和具有改进电极几何结构的QCMS的巨大改进。其结果将是高度稳定和优化的声波传感器，用于油品质量监测。油质传感器的开发将证明，尖端传感器研究可以商业化，同时促进高中(HS)、本科生(UG)和研究生(G)的教学、培训和学习。该项目与现有的NSF 12年级幼儿园(GK-12)计划和先前资助的NSF科学教育补助金一起，将传感器整合到UG和G工程计划中，将为HS、UG和G学生提供研究、教育和就业机会，以参与拟议的项目。油质传感器的成功展示将推动类似传感器的开发，应用于健康、农业、汽车、环境和军事领域。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of developing a novel acoustic wave sensor for use as an oil quality monitor for motor vehicles and industrial machinery. Normally oil quality is not monitored in situ. The most common method of ensuring oil quality is to change the oil after a specified amount of time or miles. The research objectives will be to determine the ideal excitation geometry for the sensor, fully characterize the sensor to mechanical and electrical perturbations of the contacting liquid, and demonstrate that the sensor can reliably monitor engine oil quality. Phase I work will demonstrate that the sensor is a vast improvement over both standard quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) and QCMs with modified electrode geometries. The result will be acoustic wave sensors that are highly stable and optimized for oil quality monitoring. The development of an oil quality sensor will demonstrate that cutting edge sensor research can be brought to commercialization and at the same time promote teaching, training and learning for high school (HS), undergraduate (UG), and graduate (G) students. This project, in concert with an existing NSF Grades Kindergarten-12 (GK-12) program and a previously funded NSF science education grant integrating sensors into the UG and G engineering programs, will offer research, educational and job opportunities for HS, UG and G students to participate in the proposed project. The successful demonstration of an oil quality sensor will motivate the development of similar sensors for applications in health, agricultural, automotive, environmental and military areas.