Advanced nano-engineered materials for lower cost breath-alcohol sensors

用于低成本呼吸酒精传感器的先进纳米工程材料

• 批准号: 472066-2014
• 负责人: Birss, Viola
• 金额: $ 5.1万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=577893
• 关键词: Advanced; nano; engineered; materials; lower

Impaired driving in Canada resulted in 1,200 fatalities and 73,000 injuries in 2007, with an annual cost to Canadians exceeding $2.2 billion. Thus, on-board breath alcohol testers have been developed to prevent the operation of vehicles if the alcohol content of the driver is above a preset safety limit. As the application of this technology is now expanding to include commercial transport, industrial and military vehicles, the cost of the device must be reduced, while also retaining accuracy and responsiveness. Supported strongly by Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp. (ACS), the proposed research involves the discovery, evaluation, and implementation of the next generation of electrocatalysts and catalyst supports for application in commercial ACS breath alcohol (ethanol) sensors. Based on similar concepts employed in direct ethanol fuel cells, these sensors will be specifically designed using high performance catalyst materials that rely far less on high noble metal content than is currently the case. Initial research will involve the construction of new sensors based on commercially available platinum (Pt) nanoparticles supported on various types of carbon, thus replacing the very thick layers of Pt in existing sensors. In entirely new directions, novel carbon support materials, containing ordered pores of controllable diameters and depths, will be used more fully utilize the Pt catalyst. These carbons will be surface modified to control their wettability and to enhance the bonding of the Pt nanoparticles, thus enhancing sensor stability. Other new directions will involve the synthesis of nanoparticles composed of the lower cost metals and coating these with a thin shell of Pt, thus further lowering the cost of anode and cathode catalysts. These advances in electrochemical sensor manufacturing and material design will improve the long-term performance of the alcohol sensor, increasing the ability of ACS to design new products with enhanced features. This work will thus provide more cost effective and durable sensors for the prevention of impaired driving in Canada and world-wide, thereby significantly increasing public safety and reducing societal costs.

2007年，加拿大的驾驶受损导致1 200人死亡，73 000人受伤，加拿大人每年的损失超过22亿加元。因此，已经开发了车载呼吸酒精测试仪，以在驾驶员的酒精含量高于预设的安全限度的情况下防止车辆的操作。 随着这项技术的应用范围不断扩大，包括商业运输、工业和军用车辆，必须降低设备的成本，同时保持准确性和响应能力。在酒精对策系统公司（ACS）的大力支持下，拟议的研究涉及下一代电催化剂和催化剂载体的发现、评估和实施，以应用于商业ACS呼吸酒精（乙醇）传感器。基于直接乙醇燃料电池中采用的类似概念，这些传感器将使用高性能催化剂材料进行专门设计，这些材料对高贵金属含量的依赖远远低于目前的情况。最初的研究将涉及基于商用铂（Pt）纳米颗粒支撑在各种类型的碳上的新传感器的构建，从而取代现有传感器中非常厚的Pt层。在全新的方向，新型碳载体材料，含有可控的直径和深度的有序孔，将被用于更充分地利用铂催化剂。这些碳将被表面改性以控制其润湿性并增强Pt纳米颗粒的结合，从而增强传感器的稳定性。其他新的方向将涉及合成由低成本金属组成的纳米颗粒，并用薄的Pt壳包覆这些纳米颗粒，从而进一步降低阳极和阴极催化剂的成本。电化学传感器制造和材料设计的这些进步将提高酒精传感器的长期性能，提高ACS设计具有增强功能的新产品的能力。因此，这项工作将提供更具成本效益和耐用的传感器，以防止加拿大和世界各地的驾驶受损，从而显着提高公共安全和降低社会成本。