Nanomonitors for Energy Systems

摘要

Recent advances in trace gas species sensing using nanotechnology show great promise for detecting chemical species by the principle of chemiresistivity. This principle measures changes in resistance associated with the adsorption of chemical species onto nanomaterials. Existing chemiresistive sensors are limited in sensitivity and selectivity and typically operate in mild environment. The goal of this proposed work is to understand and tailor the performance of trace gas species nanomonitors in terms of sensitivity; specificity and stability using nanoporous ceramic and metal doped ceramic membranes supported on microelectrode arrays (MEA). The nanoporous pseudo-membrane behaves as a series of interconnected resistors resulting in signal amplification, thereby enhancing the nanomonitor sensitivity. The material chemistry and particle-pore characteristics of the nanoporous composite are designed to achieve the specificity and stability in the extreme environment. We address multi-disciplinary issues such as device design and fabrication as well as nanomaterials synthesis and processing to successfully develop the proposed nanomonitoring technology. These sensors have a wide range of applications: power conversion, energy storage, and energy harvesting devices all require sensors for optimization and reliable performance.