SBIR Phase II: Laser-based in-exhaust NOx sensor for automotive applications

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will improve the environment with cleaner diesel engine exhaust. Diesel engine manufacturers currently cannot precisely control their exhaust after-treatment systems due to the lack of widely deployable sensors that can differentiate between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other species in the exhaust stream. This project advances a novel on-board sensor for detecting NOx in diesel exhaust streams with sensitivities and molecular specificity unmatched by existing technologies. It can result in 10% greater fuel efficiency while matching new stringent NOx emissions standards. Fleet-wide fuel economy improvements and NOx emissions reductions enabled by this technology will lead to reduced carbon emissions and healthier air with lower amounts of NOx-induced smog, ground-level ozone, and acid rain.The intellectual merit of this project advances a novel application of laser-absorption spectroscopy, which probes the unique spectral absorption fingerprint of NOx species to avoid cross-species interference. This sensor is projected to achieve tenfold lower detection thresholds than current widely deployed electrochemical sensors in the harsh high-temperature particulate-laden diesel exhaust environments, all while maintaining a form factor similar to those used in existing diesel aftertreatment systems. This Phase I research will leverage novel manufacturing techniques to fabricate and demonstrate the performance of a high-sensitivity laser-based NO sensor capable of surviving high-temperature, oxidizing, intensely vibrating, and particulate-laden flows characteristic of vehicle exhaust gases.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.