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

该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的可行性，该传感器可用作机动车辆和工业机械的油品质量监测器。 通常情况下，油的质量不进行现场监测。 确保机油质量的最常见方法是在指定的时间或英里数后更换机油。 研究目标是确定传感器的理想激励几何形状，充分表征传感器对接触液体的机械和电气扰动，并证明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，传感器是一个巨大的改进，标准的石英晶体微量天平（QCM）和QCM与修改电极的几何形状。 其结果将是声波传感器，是非常稳定的和优化的油质量监测。 油质量传感器的开发将证明尖端传感器研究可以实现商业化，同时促进高中（HS），本科（UG）和研究生（G）的教学，培训和学习。 该项目与现有的NSF Grades Kindergarten-12（GK-12）计划和先前资助的NSF科学教育补助金将传感器集成到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。 油质量传感器的成功演示将推动类似传感器在健康，农业，汽车，环境和军事领域的应用。

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.