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

2007年，加拿大的不良驾驶造成1,200人死亡，73,000人受伤，加拿大人每年的损失超过22亿美元。因此，已经开发了车载呼气酒精测试仪，以防止在驾驶员的酒精含量高于预设的安全限值时车辆的操作。随着这项技术的应用现在扩大到包括商业运输、工业和军用车辆，该设备的成本必须降低，同时还必须保持准确性和响应性。在酒精对策系统公司(ACS)的大力支持下，这项拟议的研究涉及发现、评估和实施用于商用ACS呼气酒精(乙醇)传感器的下一代电催化剂和催化剂载体。基于直接乙醇燃料电池采用的类似概念，这些传感器将专门设计使用高性能催化剂材料，与目前的情况相比，对高贵金属含量的依赖要少得多。最初的研究将涉及基于各种类型的碳负载的商业可获得的铂(铂)纳米颗粒构建新的传感器，从而取代现有传感器中非常厚的铂层。在全新的方向上，含有可控制直径和深度的有序孔的新型碳载体材料将被更充分地利用铂催化剂。这些碳将进行表面修饰，以控制它们的润湿性，并增强铂纳米颗粒的结合，从而提高传感器的稳定性。其他新的方向将包括合成由成本较低的金属组成的纳米颗粒，并在这些纳米颗粒上覆盖一层薄薄的铂，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方面的这些进步将改善酒精传感器的长期性能，增加ACS设计具有增强功能的新产品的能力。因此，这项工作将为加拿大和世界范围内预防受损驾驶提供更具成本效益和耐用的传感器，从而显著提高公共安全并降低社会成本。

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.