Printable Gas Sensors Using Functional 2d materials

气体传感器在监测城市污染、室内空气质量和工业过程中发挥着关键作用。几十年来，半导体金属氧化物（MOx）一直主导着化学阻性商业气敏市场。然而，MOx传感器的响应和恢复时间长，通常功耗高。除石墨烯外，新一代二维（2D）材料如二硫化钼（MoS2）、黑磷（BP）和石墨氮化碳（g-C3N4）由于其大表面积和强电子相互作用而引起了人们对气体传感的浓厚兴趣。这些新型二维材料的半导体特性对化学变化高度敏感，使其对传感应用特别有吸引力。本项目旨在通过纳米工程技术解决传统MOx传感器的不足，建立具有优越传感能力的二维材料薄膜传感器平台。通过采用可扩展的纳米制造策略，该项目将开发低成本、高性能的气体传感器，可用于消费级室内空气质量监测。该学生将在剑桥石墨烯中心的混合纳米材料工程研究小组（http://hne.eng.cam.ac.uk）工作，并与Novalia Ltd.的Chris Jones先生密切合作。他将协助学生开发功能性油墨配方，并利用合成材料促进气体传感器的工业规模印刷。项目描述：项目的第一阶段将研究在液体环境中合成原子级薄的g-C3N4、MoS2和BP纳米片。接下来是在这些原子级薄的材料上水热生长金属氧化物。在对这些复合材料进行表征（包括电子显微镜、拉曼光谱、原子力显微镜）之后，将开发具有适当流变特性的功能性油墨配方，用于按需喷墨和丝网印刷。然后，这些材料将用于制造用于CGC表征的传感器。合成材料将根据器件响应进行化学掺杂或功能化，以在灵敏度和选择性方面获得最佳气体传感性能。特别强调的是可扩展的合成和传感器制造策略。该学生将根据PI研究小组的最新发展，深入了解用于打印气体传感器件和组件的功能油墨配方，并使用合适的金属氧化物和2d材料。

Gas sensors play a key role in monitoring urban pollution, indoor air quality and industrial processes. Semiconducting metal oxides (MOx) have dominated the chemiresistive commercial gas sensing market for decades. However, MOx sensors suffer from long response and recovery time and typically have high power consumption.Beyond graphene, a new generation of 2-dimenstional (2D) material such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), black phosphorus (BP) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) have attracted a strong interest in gas sensing due to their large surface area and strong electron interaction. The semiconducting properties of these novel 2D materials are highly sensitive to chemical changes, making them particularly attractive for sensing applications.The aim of this project is to address the shortcomings of traditional MOx sensors by nano-engineering such 2D material based thin-film sensor platform with superior sensing ability. By adopting scalable nanomanufacturing strategies, the project will develop low cost, high performance gas sensors that could be exploited for consumer grade indoor air quality monitoring.The student will be based with the Hybrid Nanomaterials Engineering research group (http://hne.eng.cam.ac.uk) at the Cambridge Graphene Centre and closely work in collaboration with Mr Chris Jones of Novalia Ltd. He will help the student in the development of functional ink formulation and facilitate industrial scale printing of the gas sensors using the synthesised materials.Description of the project:The first stage of the project will investigate synthesis of atomically thin g-C3N4, MoS2 and BP nanosheets in a liquid environment.This will be followed by hydrothermal growth of metal oxides on these atomically thin materials.Following characterization of these composite materials (including electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force microscopy), formulation of functional inks with appropriate rheological properties will be developed for drop on demand inkjet and screen-printing.The materials will then be used to fabricate sensors for characterization in the CGC.The synthesised materials will be chemically doped or functionalised according to the device response for optimum gas sensing performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity.Particular emphasis will be given on a scalable synthesis and sensor manufacturing strategy.The student will develop a deep insight into functional ink formulation with suitable metal oxides and 2d materials for printed gas sensing devices and components, based on the recent developments within the PI's research group.