Advantages of PZT thick film for MEMS sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Lou-Moller, R.; Hansen, K.

2010-01-01

For all MEMS devices a high coupling between the mechanical and electrical domain is desired. Figures of merit describing the coupling are important for comparing different piezoelectric materials. The existing figures of merit are discussed and a new figure of merit is introduced for a fair comp....... Improved figure of merit is reached in the piezoelectric PZT thick film, TF2100CIP, by using cold isostatic pressure in the PZT preparation process. The porosity of TF2100 is decreased 38%, hence, allowing an increase of charge sensitivity for MEMS sensors of 59%....... thin film and PZT thick film. It is shown that MEMS sensors with the PZT thick film TF2100 from InSensor A/S have potential for significant higher voltage sensitivities compared to PZT thin film base MEMS sensors when the total thickness of the MEMS cantilever, beam, bridge or membrane is high...

Cellulose Nanofibril Film as a Piezoelectric Sensor Material.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajala, Satu; Siponkoski, Tuomo; Sarlin, Essi; Mettänen, Marja; Vuoriluoto, Maija; Pammo, Arno; Juuti, Jari; Rojas, Orlando J; Franssila, Sami; Tuukkanen, Sampo

2016-06-22

Self-standing films (45 μm thick) of native cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were synthesized and characterized for their piezoelectric response. The surface and the microstructure of the films were evaluated with image-based analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The measured dielectric properties of the films at 1 kHz and 9.97 GHz indicated a relative permittivity of 3.47 and 3.38 and loss tangent tan δ of 0.011 and 0.071, respectively. The films were used as functional sensing layers in piezoelectric sensors with corresponding sensitivities of 4.7-6.4 pC/N in ambient conditions. This piezoelectric response is expected to increase remarkably upon film polarization resulting from the alignment of the cellulose crystalline regions in the film. The CNF sensor characteristics were compared with those of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as reference piezoelectric polymer. Overall, the results suggest that CNF is a suitable precursor material for disposable piezoelectric sensors, actuators, or energy generators with potential applications in the fields of electronics, sensors, and biomedical diagnostics.

Voltage transients in thin-film InSb Hall sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexey Bardin

Full Text Available The work is reached to study temperature transients in thin-film Hall sensors. We experimentally study InSb thin-film Hall sensor. We find transients of voltage with amplitude about 10 μV on the sensor ports after current switching. We demonstrate by direct measurements that the transients is caused by thermo-e.m.f., and both non-stationarity and heterogeneity of temperature in the film. We find significant asymmetry of temperature field for different direction of the current, which is probably related to Peltier effect. The result can be useful for wide range of scientist who works with switching of high density currents in any thin semiconductor films. 2000 MSC: 41A05, 41A10, 65D05, 65D17, Keywords: Thin-films, Semiconductors, Hall sensor, InSb, thermo-e.m.f.

Meteor Film Recording with Digital Film Cameras with large CMOS Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Slansky, P. C.

2016-12-01

In this article the author combines his professional know-how about cameras for film and television production with his amateur astronomy activities. Professional digital film cameras with high sensitivity are still quite rare in astronomy. One reason for this may be their costs of up to 20 000 and more (camera body only). In the interim, however,consumer photo cameras with film mode and very high sensitivity have come to the market for about 2 000 EUR. In addition, ultra-high sensitive professional film cameras, that are very interesting for meteor observation, have been introduced to the market. The particular benefits of digital film cameras with large CMOS sensors, including photo cameras with film recording function, for meteor recording are presented by three examples: a 2014 Camelopardalid, shot with a Canon EOS C 300, an exploding 2014 Aurigid, shot with a Sony alpha7S, and the 2016 Perseids, shot with a Canon ME20F-SH. All three cameras use large CMOS sensors; "large" meaning Super-35 mm, the classic 35 mm film format (24x13.5 mm, similar to APS-C size), or full format (36x24 mm), the classic 135 photo camera format. Comparisons are made to the widely used cameras with small CCD sensors, such as Mintron or Watec; "small" meaning 12" (6.4x4.8 mm) or less. Additionally, special photographic image processing of meteor film recordings is discussed.

A „Hybrid“ Thin-Film pH Sensor with Integrated Thick-Film Reference

OpenAIRE

Simonis, Anette; Krings, Thomas; Lüth, Hans; Wang, Joseph; Schöning, Michael J.

2001-01-01

A reference electrode fabricated by means of thick-film technique is deposited onto a silicon substrate and combined with a thin-film pH sensor to a “hybrid†chip system. To evaluate the suitability of this combination, first investigations were carried out. The characteristics of the thin-film pH sensor were studied towards the thick-film Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Measurements were performed in the capacitance/voltage (C/V) and constant capacitance (Concap) mode for different pH ...

Voltage transients in thin-film InSb Hall sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Bardin, Alexey; Ignatjev, Vyacheslav; Orlov, Andrey; Perchenko, Sergey

The work is reached to study temperature transients in thin-film Hall sensors. We experimentally study InSb thin-film Hall sensor. We find transients of voltage with amplitude about 10 μ V on the sensor ports after current switching. We demonstrate by direct measurements that the transients is caused by thermo-e.m.f., and both non-stationarity and heterogeneity of temperature in the film. We find significant asymmetry of temperature field for different direction of the current, which is probably related to Peltier effect. The result can be useful for wide range of scientist who works with switching of high density currents in any thin semiconductor films.

Structure and Sensor Properties of Thin Ordered Solid Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jadwiga Sołoducho

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Miniaturized gas sensors and biosensors based on nanostructured sensing elements have attracted considerable interest because these nanostructured materials can be used to significantly improve sensor sensitivity and the response time. We report here on a generic, reversible sensing platform based on hybrid nanofilms. Thin ordered Langmuir-Blodgett (LB films built of fluorene derivatives were used as effective gas sensors for both oxidative and reductive analytes. A novel immobilization method based on thin LB films as a matrix has been developed for construction of sensing protein layers. Biomolecules can often be incorporated into and immobilized on Langmuir-Blodgett films using adsorption methods or by covalent immobilization of proteins. The sensor sensitisation was achieved by an amphiphilic N-alkyl-bis(thiophenearylenes admixed into the film. The interlaced derivative was expected to facilitate the electron transfer, thereby enhancing the sensor sensitivity. The results suggest that this may be very promising approach for exploring the interactions between proteins and high throughput detection of phenol derivatives in wastewater.

A micro-fabricated force sensor using an all thin film piezoelectric active sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Junwoo; Choi, Wook; Yoo, Yong Kyoung; Hwang, Kyo Seon; Lee, Sang-Myung; Kang, Sungchul; Kim, Jinseok; Lee, Jeong Hoon

2014-11-25

The ability to measure pressure and force is essential in biomedical applications such as minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and palpation for detecting cancer cysts. Here, we report a force sensor for measuring a shear and normal force by combining an arrayed piezoelectric sensors layer with a precut glass top plate connected by four stress concentrating legs. We designed and fabricated a thin film piezoelectric force sensor and proposed an enhanced sensing tool to be used for analyzing gentle touches without the external voltage source used in FET sensors. Both the linear sensor response from 3 kPa to 30 kPa and the exact signal responses from the moving direction illustrate the strong feasibility of the described thin film miniaturized piezoelectric force sensor.

A Micro-Fabricated Force Sensor Using an All Thin Film Piezoelectric Active Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junwoo Lee

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The ability to measure pressure and force is essential in biomedical applications such as minimally invasive surgery (MIS and palpation for detecting cancer cysts. Here, we report a force sensor for measuring a shear and normal force by combining an arrayed piezoelectric sensors layer with a precut glass top plate connected by four stress concentrating legs. We designed and fabricated a thin film piezoelectric force sensor and proposed an enhanced sensing tool to be used for analyzing gentle touches without the external voltage source used in FET sensors. Both the linear sensor response from 3 kPa to 30 kPa and the exact signal responses from the moving direction illustrate the strong feasibility of the described thin film miniaturized piezoelectric force sensor.

Integrated fiber optic sensors for hot spot detection and temperature field reconstruction in satellites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapp, S; Baier, H

2010-01-01

Large satellites are often equipped with more than 1000 temperature sensors during the test campaign. Hundreds of them are still used for monitoring during launch and operation in space. This means an additional mass and especially high effort in assembly, integration and verification on a system level. So the use of fiber Bragg grating temperature sensors is investigated as they offer several advantages. They are lightweight, small in size and electromagnetically immune, which fits well in space applications. Their multiplexing capability offers the possibility to build extensive sensor networks including dozens of sensors of different types, such as strain sensors, accelerometers and temperature sensors. The latter allow the detection of hot spots and the reconstruction of temperature fields via proper algorithms, which is shown in this paper. A temperature sensor transducer was developed, which can be integrated into satellite sandwich panels with negligible mechanical influence. Mechanical and thermal vacuum tests were performed to verify the space compatibility of the developed sensor system. Proper reconstruction algorithms were developed to estimate the temperature field and detect thermal hot spots on the panel surface. A representative hardware demonstrator has been built and tested, which shows the capability of using an integrated fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor network for temperature field reconstruction and hot spot detection in satellite structures

Pd thin films on flexible substrate for hydrogen sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Öztürk, Sadullah [Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul (Turkey); Kılınç, Necmettin, E-mail: nkilinc@nigde.edu.tr [Nigde University, Mechatronics Engineering Department, 51245 Nigde (Turkey); Nigde University, Nanotechnology Application and Research Center, 51245 Nigde (Turkey)

2016-07-25

In this work, palladium (Pd) thin films were prepared via RF sputtering method with various thicknesses (6 nm, 20 nm and 60 nm) on both a flexible substrate and a hard substrate. Hydrogen (H{sub 2}) sensing properties of Pd films on flexible substrate have been investigated depending on temperatures (25–100 °C) and H{sub 2} concentrations (600 ppm – 10%). The effect of H{sub 2} on structural properties of the films was also studied. The films were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction. It is found that whole Pd films on hard substrate show permanent structural deformation after exposed to 10% H{sub 2} for 30 min. But, this H{sub 2} exposure does not causes any structural deformation for 6 nm Pd film on flexible substrate and 6 nm Pd film on flexible substrate shows reversible sensor response up to 10% H{sub 2} concentration without any structural deformation. On the other hand, Pd film sensors that have the thicknesses 20 nm and 60 nm on flexible substrate are irreversible for higher H{sub 2} concentration (>2%) with film deformation. The sensor response of 6 nm Pd film on flexible substrate increased with increasing H{sub 2} concentration up 4% and then saturated. The sensitivity of the film decreased with increasing operation temperature. - Highlights: • Pd thin films fabricated by RF sputtering on both flexible and hard substrates. • Structural deformation observed for films on hard substrate after exposing 10% H{sub 2}. • 6 nm Pd film on flexible substrate shows reversible sensor response up to 10% H{sub 2}. • H{sub 2} sensing properties of film on flexible substrate investigated depending on temperature and concentration. • The sensitivity of the film decreased with increasing operation temperature.

Hot Wire Anemometer Turbulence Measurements in the wind Tunnel of LM Wind Power

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischer, Andreas

downstream of the nozzle contraction. We used two different hot wire probes: a dual sensor miniature wire probe (Dantec 55P61) and a triple sensor fiber film probe (Dantec 55R91). The turbulence intensity measured with the dual sensor probe in the empty tunnel section was significantly lower than the one...

Polymer Thick-Film Sensors: Possibilities for Smartcard Biometrics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Henderson, N.J.; Papakostas, T.V.; White, N.M.; Hartel, Pieter H.

In this paper the potential of polymer thick-film sensors are assessed for use as biometric sensors on smartcards. Piezoelectric and piezoresistive sensors have been printed on flexible polyester, then bonded to smartcard blanks. The tactile interaction of a person with these sensors has been

Planar Zeolite Film-Based Potentiometric Gas Sensors Manufactured by a Combined Thick-Film and Electroplating Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Marr, Isabella; Reiß, Sebastian; Hagen, Gunter; Moos, Ralf

2011-01-01

Zeolites are promising materials in the field of gas sensors. In this technology-oriented paper, a planar setup for potentiometric hydrocarbon and hydrogen gas sensors using zeolites as ionic sodium conductors is presented, in which the Pt-loaded Na-ZSM-5 zeolite is applied using a thick-film technique between two interdigitated gold electrodes and one of them is selectively covered for the first time by an electroplated chromium oxide film. The influence of the sensor temperature, the type of hydrocarbons, the zeolite film thickness, and the chromium oxide film thickness is investigated. The influence of the zeolite on the sensor response is briefly discussed in the light of studies dealing with zeolites as selectivity-enhancing cover layers. PMID:22164042

Planar Zeolite Film-Based Potentiometric Gas Sensors Manufactured by a Combined Thick-Film and Electroplating Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunter Hagen

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Zeolites are promising materials in the field of gas sensors. In this technology-oriented paper, a planar setup for potentiometric hydrocarbon and hydrogen gas sensors using zeolites as ionic sodium conductors is presented, in which the Pt-loaded Na-ZSM-5 zeolite is applied using a thick-film technique between two interdigitated gold electrodes and one of them is selectively covered for the first time by an electroplated chromium oxide film. The influence of the sensor temperature, the type of hydrocarbons, the zeolite film thickness, and the chromium oxide film thickness is investigated. The influence of the zeolite on the sensor response is briefly discussed in the light of studies dealing with zeolites as selectivity-enhancing cover layers.

Development of a micro-thermal flow sensor with thin-film thermocouples

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Tae Hoon; Kim, Sung Jin

2006-11-01

A micro-thermal flow sensor is developed using thin-film thermocouples as temperature sensors. A micro-thermal flow sensor consists of a heater and thin-film thermocouples which are deposited on a quartz wafer using stainless steel masks. Thin-film thermocouples are made of standard K-type thermocouple materials. The mass flow rate is measured by detecting the temperature difference of the thin-film thermocouples located in the upstream and downstream sections relative to a heater. The performance of the micro-thermal flow sensor is experimentally evaluated. In addition, a numerical model is presented and verified by experimental results. The effects of mass flow rate, input power, and position of temperature sensors on the performance of the micro-thermal flow sensor are experimentally investigated. At low values, the mass flow rate varies linearly with the temperature difference. The linearity of the micro-thermal flow sensor is shown to be independent of the input power. Finally, the position of the temperature sensors is shown to affect both the sensitivity and the linearity of the micro-thermal flow sensor.

Humidity Sensor Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, C.L.; Hu, C.G.; Fang, L.; Wang, S.X.; Cao, C.L.; Tian, Y.S.; Pan, C.Y.

2009-01-01

The properties of the humidity sensors made of chemically treated and untreated multi-walled carbon nano tube (MWCNT) thin films are investigated systematically. It shows that both the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT thin films demonstrate humidity sensitive properties, but the former have stronger sensitivity than the latter. In the range of 11%-98% relative humidity (RH), the resistances of the chemically treated and untreated MWCNT humidity sensors increase 120% and 28%, respectively. Moreover, the treated humidity sensors showed higher sensitivity and better stability. In addition, the response and recover properties, and stabilization of the humidity sensors are measured, and the humidity sensitive mechanisms of the sensors are analyzed. The humidity sensitivity of carbon nano tube thin films indicates it promise as a kind of humidity sensitive material

Organic Thin-Film Transistor (OTFT-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Elkington

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Organic thin film transistors have been a popular research topic in recent decades and have found applications from flexible displays to disposable sensors. In this review, we present an overview of some notable articles reporting sensing applications for organic transistors with a focus on the most recent publications. In particular, we concentrate on three main types of organic transistor-based sensors: biosensors, pressure sensors and “e-nose”/vapour sensors.

Characteristics research of pressure sensor based on nanopolysilicon thin films resistors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaofeng; Li, Dandan; Wen, Dianzhong

2017-10-01

To further improve the sensitivity temperature characteristics of pressure sensor, a kind of pressure sensor taking nanopolysilicon thin films as piezoresistors is proposed in this paper. On the basis of the microstructure analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests, the preparing process of nanopolysilicon thin films is optimized. The effects of film thickness and annealing temperature on the micro-structure of nanopolysilicon thin films were studied, respectively. In order to realize the measurement of external pressure, four nanopolysilicon thin films resistors were arranged at the edges of square silicon diaphragm connected to a Wheatstone bridge, and the chip of the sensor was designed and fabricated on a 〈100〉 orientation silicon wafer by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. Experimental result shows that when I = 6.80 mA, the sensitivity of the sensor PS-1 is 0.308 mV/kPa, and the temperature coefficient of sensitivity (TCS) is about -1742 ppm/∘C in the range of -40-140∘C. It is possible to obviously improve the sensitivity temperature characteristics of pressure sensor by the proposed sensors.

Hot-embossing of microstructures on addition-curing polydimethylsiloxane films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vudayagiri, Sindhu; Yu, Liyun; Hassouneh, Suzan Sager

2013-01-01

) film, which is thermosetting elastomer, was established based on the existing and widely applied technology for thermoplasts. We focus on hot-embossing as it is one of the simplest, most cost-effective and time saving methods for replicating structures for thermoplasts. Addition curing silicones...

Low resistance polycrystalline diamond thin films deposited by hot ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

silicon wafers using a hydrocarbon gas (CH4) highly diluted with H2 at low pressure in a hot filament chemi- cal vapour ... the laser spot was focused on the sample surface using a ... tative spectra of diamond thin films with a typical dia-.

Measurement of quasiparticle transport in aluminum films using tungsten transition-edge sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yen, J. J.; Shank, B.; Cabrera, B.; Moffatt, R.; Redl, P.; Young, B. A.; Tortorici, E. C.; Brink, P. L.; Cherry, M.; Tomada, A.; Kreikebaum, J. M.

2014-01-01

We report on experimental studies of phonon sensors which utilize quasiparticle diffusion in thin aluminum films connected to tungsten transition-edge-sensors (TESs) operated at 35 mK. We show that basic TES physics and a simple physical model of the overlap region between the W and Al films in our devices enables us to accurately reproduce the experimentally observed pulse shapes from x-rays absorbed in the Al films. We further estimate quasiparticle loss in Al films using a simple diffusion equation approach. These studies allow the design of phonon sensors with improved performance.

Application of the laser scanning confocal microscope in fluorescent film sensor research

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongyan; Liu, Wei-Min; Zhao, Wen-Wen; Dai, Qing; Wang, Peng-Fei

2010-10-01

Confocal microscopy offers several advantages over conventional optical microscopy; we show an experimental investigation laser scanning confocal microscope as a tool to be used in cubic boron nitride (cBN) film-based fluorescent sensor research. Cubic boron nitride cBN film sensors are modified with dansyl chloride and rhodamine B isothiocyanate respectively. Fluorescent modification quality on the cubic boron nitride film is clearly express and the sensor ability to Hg2+ cations and pH are investigated in detail. We evidence the rhodamine B isothiocyanate modified quality on cBN surface is much better than that of dansyl chloride. And laser scanning confocal microscope has potential application lighttight fundus film fluorescent sensor research.

Electrically excited hot-electron dominated fluorescent emitters using individual Ga-doped ZnO microwires via metal quasiparticle film decoration.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Jiang, Mingming; Zhang, Zhenzhong; Li, Binghui; Zhao, Haifeng; Shan, Chongxin; Shen, Dezhen

2018-03-28

The generation of hot electrons from metal nanostructures through plasmon decay provided a direct interfacial charge transfer mechanism, which no longer suffers from the barrier height restrictions observed for metal/semiconductor interfaces. Metal plasmon-mediated energy conversion with higher efficiency has been proposed as a promising alternative to construct novel optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors, photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices, etc. However, the realization of the electrically-driven generation of hot electrons, and the application in light-emitting devices remain big challenges. Here, hybrid architectures comprising individual Ga-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga) microwires via metal quasiparticle film decoration were fabricated. The hottest spots could be formed towards the center of the wires, and the quasiparticle films were converted into physically isolated nanoparticles by applying a bias onto the wires. Thus, the hot electrons became spatially localized towards the hottest regions, leading to a release of energy in the form of emitting photons. By adjusting the sputtering times and appropriate alloys, such as Au and Ag, wavelength-tunable emissions could be achieved. To exploit the EL emission characteristics, metal plasmons could be used as active elements to mediate the generation of hot electrons from metal nanostructures, which are located in the light-emitting regions, followed by injection into ZnO:Ga microwire-channels; thus, the production of plasmon decay-induced hot-electrons could function as an efficient approach to dominate emission wavelengths. Therefore, by introducing metal nanostructure decoration, individual ZnO:Ga microwires can be used to construct wavelength-tunable fluorescent emitters. The hybrid architectures of metal-ZnO micro/nanostructures offer a fantastic candidate to broaden the potential applications of semiconducting optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaic devices, photodetectors, optoelectronic sensors, etc.

Flexible PZT Thin Film Tactile Sensor for Biomedical Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Jong Wu

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the development of tactile sensors using the sol-gel process to deposit a PZT thin-film from 250 nm to 1 μm on a flexible stainless steel substrate. The PZT thin-film tactile sensor can be used to measure human pulses from several areas, including carotid, brachial, finger, ankle, radial artery, and the apical region. Flexible PZT tactile sensors can overcome the diverse topology of various human regions and sense the corresponding signals from human bodies. The measured arterial pulse waveform can be used to diagnose hypertension and cardiac failure in patients. The proposed sensors have several advantages, such as flexibility, reliability, high strain, low cost, simple fabrication, and low temperature processing. The PZT thin-film deposition process includes a pyrolysis process at 150 °C/500 °C for 10/5 min, followed by an annealing process at 650 °C for 10 min. Finally, the consistent pulse wave velocity (PWV was demonstrated based on human pulse measurements from apical to radial, brachial to radial, and radial to ankle. It is characterized that the sensitivity of our PZT-based tactile sensor was approximately 0.798 mV/g.

Flexible PZT thin film tactile sensor for biomedical monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Hong-Jie; Tian, Wei-Cheng; Wu, Wen-Jong

2013-04-25

This paper presents the development of tactile sensors using the sol-gel process to deposit a PZT thin-film from 250 nm to 1 μm on a flexible stainless steel substrate. The PZT thin-film tactile sensor can be used to measure human pulses from several areas, including carotid, brachial, finger, ankle, radial artery, and the apical region. Flexible PZT tactile sensors can overcome the diverse topology of various human regions and sense the corresponding signals from human bodies. The measured arterial pulse waveform can be used to diagnose hypertension and cardiac failure in patients. The proposed sensors have several advantages, such as flexibility, reliability, high strain, low cost, simple fabrication, and low temperature processing. The PZT thin-film deposition process includes a pyrolysis process at 150 °C/500 °C for 10/5 min, followed by an annealing process at 650 °C for 10 min. Finally, the consistent pulse wave velocity (PWV) was demonstrated based on human pulse measurements from apical to radial, brachial to radial, and radial to ankle. It is characterized that the sensitivity of our PZT-based tactile sensor was approximately 0.798 mV/g.

Characterization of tin dioxide film for chemical vapors sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafaiedh, I.; Helali, S.; Cherif, K.; Abdelghani, A.; Tournier, G.

2008-01-01

Recently, oxide semiconductor material used as transducer has been the central topic of many studies for gas sensor. In this paper we investigated the characteristic of a thick film of tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) film for chemical vapor sensor. It has been prepared by screen-printing technology and deposited on alumina substrate provided with two gold electrodes. The morphology, the molecular composition and the electrical properties of this material have been characterized respectively by Atomic Force Spectroscopy (AFM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Impedance Spectroscopy (IS). The electrical properties showed a resistive behaviour of this material less than 300 deg. C which is the operating temperature of the sensor. The developed sensor can identify the nature of the detected gas, oxidizing or reducing

Thin film diamond microstructure applications

Science.gov (United States)

Roppel, T.; Ellis, C.; Ramesham, R.; Jaworske, D.; Baginski, M. E.; Lee, S. Y.

1991-01-01

Selective deposition and abrasion, as well as etching in atomic oxygen or reduced-pressure air, have been used to prepare patterned polycrystalline diamond films which, on further processing by anisotropic Si etching, yield the microstructures of such devices as flow sensors and accelerometers. Both types of sensor have been experimentally tested in the respective functions of hot-wire anemometer and both single- and double-hinged accelerometer.

Thin film oxygen partial pressure sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Wortman, J. J.; Harrison, J. W.; Honbarrier, H. L.; Yen, J.

1972-01-01

The development is described of a laboratory model oxygen partial pressure sensor using a sputtered zinc oxide thin film. The film is operated at about 400 C through the use of a miniature silicon bar. Because of the unique resistance versus temperature relation of the silicon bar, control of the operational temperature is achieved by controlling the resistance. A circuit for accomplishing this is described. The response of sputtered zinc oxide films of various thicknesses to oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and water vapor caused a change in the film resistance. Over a large range, film conductance varied approximately as the square root of the oxygen partial pressure. The presence of water vapor in the gas stream caused a shift in the film conductance at a given oxygen partial pressure. A theoretical model is presented to explain the characteristic features of the zinc oxide response to oxygen.

Dansyl-based fluorescent film sensor for nitroaromatics in aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang Jianping; Ding Liping; Lue Fengting; Zhang Shujuan; Fang Yu

2006-01-01

We demonstrate the preparation, characterization and performance evaluation of a fluorescent film sensor for the specific detection of nitroaromatics in aqueous solution. The film sensor was fabricated by covalent immobilization of a fluorophore, dansyl, on a glass slide surface via reaction with diaminopropane and then with an epoxide-terminated self-assembled monolayer. Nitroaromatics like nitrobenzene, 4-nitrotoluene, 3, 5-dinitrotoluene, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, etc were found to strongly quench the fluorescence emission of the film while some other commonly-used quenchers like nitromethane, KI, acrylamide, etc showed no or slight quenching effect on the emission. The quenching mechanism was examined through fluorescence lifetime measurements and it was proved that the quenching is static in nature and may be caused by electron transfer from the fluorophore to the nitroaromatics. The presence of other aromatics like benzene, toluene, etc had little effect upon the sensing performance of the film to nitroaromatics. Solvent effect studies revealed that the conformations adopted by the spacer connecting the fluorophore and the substrate played a crucial role in the performance of the film sensor. Furthermore, the response of the film to nitroaromatics is fast and reversible

Dansyl-based fluorescent film sensor for nitroaromatics in aqueous solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang Jianping; Ding Liping; Lue Fengting; Zhang Shujuan; Fang Yu [Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi' an 710062 (China)

2006-12-07

We demonstrate the preparation, characterization and performance evaluation of a fluorescent film sensor for the specific detection of nitroaromatics in aqueous solution. The film sensor was fabricated by covalent immobilization of a fluorophore, dansyl, on a glass slide surface via reaction with diaminopropane and then with an epoxide-terminated self-assembled monolayer. Nitroaromatics like nitrobenzene, 4-nitrotoluene, 3, 5-dinitrotoluene, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, etc were found to strongly quench the fluorescence emission of the film while some other commonly-used quenchers like nitromethane, KI, acrylamide, etc showed no or slight quenching effect on the emission. The quenching mechanism was examined through fluorescence lifetime measurements and it was proved that the quenching is static in nature and may be caused by electron transfer from the fluorophore to the nitroaromatics. The presence of other aromatics like benzene, toluene, etc had little effect upon the sensing performance of the film to nitroaromatics. Solvent effect studies revealed that the conformations adopted by the spacer connecting the fluorophore and the substrate played a crucial role in the performance of the film sensor. Furthermore, the response of the film to nitroaromatics is fast and reversible.

Dansyl-based fluorescent film sensor for nitroaromatics in aqueous solution

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Jianping; Ding, Liping; Lü, Fengting; Zhang, Shujuan; Fang, Yu

2006-12-01

We demonstrate the preparation, characterization and performance evaluation of a fluorescent film sensor for the specific detection of nitroaromatics in aqueous solution. The film sensor was fabricated by covalent immobilization of a fluorophore, dansyl, on a glass slide surface via reaction with diaminopropane and then with an epoxide-terminated self-assembled monolayer. Nitroaromatics like nitrobenzene, 4-nitrotoluene, 3, 5-dinitrotoluene, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, etc were found to strongly quench the fluorescence emission of the film while some other commonly-used quenchers like nitromethane, KI, acrylamide, etc showed no or slight quenching effect on the emission. The quenching mechanism was examined through fluorescence lifetime measurements and it was proved that the quenching is static in nature and may be caused by electron transfer from the fluorophore to the nitroaromatics. The presence of other aromatics like benzene, toluene, etc had little effect upon the sensing performance of the film to nitroaromatics. Solvent effect studies revealed that the conformations adopted by the spacer connecting the fluorophore and the substrate played a crucial role in the performance of the film sensor. Furthermore, the response of the film to nitroaromatics is fast and reversible.

The effects of two thick film deposition methods on tin dioxide gas sensor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakrania, Smitesh D; Wooldridge, Margaret S

2009-01-01

This work demonstrates the variability in performance between SnO(2) thick film gas sensors prepared using two types of film deposition methods. SnO(2) powders were deposited on sensor platforms with and without the use of binders. Three commonly utilized binder recipes were investigated, and a new binder-less deposition procedure was developed and characterized. The binder recipes yielded sensors with poor film uniformity and poor structural integrity, compared to the binder-less deposition method. Sensor performance at a fixed operating temperature of 330 °C for the different film deposition methods was evaluated by exposure to 500 ppm of the target gas carbon monoxide. A consequence of the poor film structure, large variability and poor signal properties were observed with the sensors fabricated using binders. Specifically, the sensors created using the binder recipes yielded sensor responses that varied widely (e.g., S = 5 - 20), often with hysteresis in the sensor signal. Repeatable and high quality performance was observed for the sensors prepared using the binder-less dispersion-drop method with good sensor response upon exposure to 500 ppm CO (S = 4.0) at an operating temperature of 330 °C, low standard deviation to the sensor response (±0.35) and no signal hysteresis.

The Effects of Two Thick Film Deposition Methods on Tin Dioxide Gas Sensor Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smitesh D. Bakrania

2009-08-01

Full Text Available This work demonstrates the variability in performance between SnO2 thick film gas sensors prepared using two types of film deposition methods. SnO2 powders were deposited on sensor platforms with and without the use of binders. Three commonly utilized binder recipes were investigated, and a new binder-less deposition procedure was developed and characterized. The binder recipes yielded sensors with poor film uniformity and poor structural integrity, compared to the binder-less deposition method. Sensor performance at a fixed operating temperature of 330 ºC for the different film deposition methods was evaluated by exposure to 500 ppm of the target gas carbon monoxide. A consequence of the poor film structure, large variability and poor signal properties were observed with the sensors fabricated using binders. Specifically, the sensors created using the binder recipes yielded sensor responses that varied widely (e.g., S = 5 – 20, often with hysteresis in the sensor signal. Repeatable and high quality performance was observed for the sensors prepared using the binder-less dispersion-drop method with good sensor response upon exposure to 500 ppm CO (S = 4.0 at an operating temperature of 330 ºC, low standard deviation to the sensor response (±0.35 and no signal hysteresis.

Sensitive Capacitive-type Hydrogen Sensor Based on Ni Thin Film in Different Hydrogen Concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Pour, Ghobad Behzadi; Aval, Leila Fekri; Eslami, Shahnaz

2018-04-01

Hydrogen sensors are micro/nano-structure that are used to locate hydrogen leaks. They are considered to have fast response/recovery time and long lifetime as compared to conventional gas sensors. In this paper, fabrication of sensitive capacitive-type hydrogen gas sensor based on Ni thin film has been investigated. The C-V curves of the sensor in different hydrogen concentrations have been reported. Dry oxidation was done in thermal chemical vapor deposition furnace (TCVD). For oxidation time of 5 min, the oxide thickness was 15 nm and for oxidation time 10 min, it was 20 nm. The Ni thin film as a catalytic metal was deposited on the oxide film using electron gun deposition. Two MOS sensors were compared with different oxide film thickness and different hydrogen concentrations. The highest response of the two MOS sensors with 15 nm and 20 nm oxide film thickness in 4% hydrogen concentration was 87.5% and 65.4% respectively. The fast response times for MOS sensors with 15 nm and 20 nm oxide film thickness in 4% hydrogen concentration was 8 s and 21 s, respectively. By increasing the hydrogen concentration from 1% to 4%, the response time for MOS sensor (20nm oxide thickness), was decreased from 28s to 21s. The recovery time was inversely increased from 237s to 360s. The experimental results showed that the MOS sensor based on Ni thin film had a quick response and a high sensitivity.

A film-based wall shear stress sensor for wall-bounded turbulent flows

Science.gov (United States)

Amili, Omid; Soria, Julio

2011-07-01

In wall-bounded turbulent flows, determination of wall shear stress is an important task. The main objective of the present work is to develop a sensor which is capable of measuring surface shear stress over an extended region applicable to wall-bounded turbulent flows. This sensor, as a direct method for measuring wall shear stress, consists of mounting a thin flexible film on the solid surface. The sensor is made of a homogeneous, isotropic, and incompressible material. The geometry and mechanical properties of the film are measured, and particles with the nominal size of 11 μm in diameter are embedded on the film's surface to act as markers. An optical technique is used to measure the film deformation caused by the flow. The film has typically deflection of less than 2% of the material thickness under maximum loading. The sensor sensitivity can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the layer or the shear modulus of the film's material. The paper reports the sensor fabrication, static and dynamic calibration procedure, and its application to a fully developed turbulent channel flow at Reynolds numbers in the range of 90,000-130,000 based on the bulk velocity and channel full height. The results are compared to alternative wall shear stress measurement methods.

Nanocrystalline SnO2:F Thin Films for Liquid Petroleum Gas Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sutichai Chaisitsak

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the improvement in the sensing performance of nanocrystalline SnO2-based liquid petroleum gas (LPG sensors by doping with fluorine (F. Un-doped and F-doped tin oxide films were prepared on glass substrates by the dip-coating technique using a layer-by-layer deposition cycle (alternating between dip-coating a thin layer followed by a drying in air after each new layer. The results showed that this technique is superior to the conventional technique for both improving the film thickness uniformity and film transparency. The effect of F concentration on the structural, surface morphological and LPG sensing properties of the SnO2 films was investigated. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM and X-ray diffraction pattern measurements showed that the obtained thin films are nanocrystalline SnO2 with nanoscale-textured surfaces. Gas sensing characteristics (sensor response and response/recovery time of the SnO2:F sensors based on a planar interdigital structure were investigated at different operating temperatures and at different LPG concentrations. The addition of fluorine to SnO2 was found to be advantageous for efficient detection of LPG gases, e.g., F-doped sensors are more stable at a low operating temperature (300 °C with higher sensor response and faster response/recovery time, compared to un-doped sensor materials. The sensors based on SnO2:F films could detect LPG even at a low level of 25% LEL, showing the possibility of using this transparent material for LPG leak detection.

Preparation and Analysis of Platinum Thin Films for High Temperature Sensor Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Wrbanek, John D.; Laster, Kimala L. H.

2005-01-01

A study has been made of platinum thin films for application as high temperature resistive sensors. To support NASA Glenn Research Center s high temperature thin film sensor effort, a magnetron sputtering system was installed recently in the GRC Microsystems Fabrication Clean Room Facility. Several samples of platinum films were prepared using various system parameters to establish run conditions. These films were characterized with the intended application of being used as resistive sensing elements, either for temperature or strain measurement. The resistances of several patterned sensors were monitored to document the effect of changes in parameters of deposition and annealing. The parameters were optimized for uniformity and intrinsic strain. The evaporation of platinum via oxidation during annealing over 900 C was documented, and a model for the process developed. The film adhesion was explored on films annealed to 1000 C with various bondcoats on fused quartz and alumina. From this compiled data, a list of optimal parameters and characteristics determined for patterned platinum thin films is given.

Investigation on Characterizing Heated Pulsating Flows with Hot Wire Anemometers - A Hands-On Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius Alexandru PANAIT

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The pulsating heated flows are traditionally a difficult subject to treat with conventional hot wire or film methods. Special factors that complicate matters are flow reversal and non linear flow effects of vortices and wire probe wake disturbances on the heat transfer to the hot film or wire sensor in heated pulsating flows. The presence of these strongly nonlinear and unknown terms leads to great difficulties in calibration of hot film probes in this particular regime. The paper analyses the current state of matters in the field and reports a series of solutions that have been practically tested in a case of a high speed pulsated heated flow. Normally such measurements are made in a non-contact fashion using a LDV system or various visualization techniques but there have been recent attempts to use a constant temperature hot wire anemometer system (CTA.To obtain meaningful calibration for hot wire films in hot pulsating flows, a comparison system on other principles (LDV was used, as well as a specially designed nozzle to replace the calibrator unit that could not be operated with heated fluid due to structural integrity reasons. The method as described below works well for the expected speed range that could be generated using the special nozzle.

Nanocrystalline Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films: A selective ethanol gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Pratibha; Godbole, R.V.; Bhagwat, Sunita

2016-01-01

In this work, Pd:NiFe 2 O 4 thin films were investigated for the detection of reducing gases. These films were fabricated using spray pyrolysis technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystal structure. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetization measurements were carried out using SQUID VSM, which shows ferrimagnetic behavior of the samples. These thin film sensors were tested against methanol, ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and liquid petroleum gas, where they were found to be more selective to ethanol. The fabricated thin film sensors exhibited linear response signal for all the gases with concentrations up to 5 w/o Pd. Reduction in optimum operating temperature and enhancement in response was also observed. Pd:NiFe 2 O 4 thin films exhibited faster response and recovery characteristic. These sensors have potential for industrial applications because of their long-term stability, low power requirement and low production cost. - Highlights: • Ethanol gas sensors based on Pd:NiFe 2 O 4 nanoparticle thin film were fabricated. • Pd incorporation in NiFe 2 O 4 matrix inhibits grain growth. • The sensors were more selective to ethanol gas. • Sensors exhibited fast response and recovery when doped with palladium. • Pd:NiFe 2 O 4 thin film sensor displays excellent long–term stability.

Characteristics of Ti films for transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ukibe, M.; Koyanagi, M.; Ohkubo, M.; Pressler, H.; Kobayashi, N.

1999-01-01

We are developing X-ray microcalorimeters using superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs), which can be operated at relatively high base temperatures of a 3 He cryostat. For this purpose, we have selected Ti films to be used as TESs. The Ti films were deposited on different substrates by RF-sputtering. It was found that the superconducting properties of the Ti films depended on Ar pressure, film thickness, and substrate surface roughness

Polymer−metal organic framework composite films as affinity layer for capacitive sensor devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sachdeva, S.; Gravesteijn, Dirk J; Soccol, D.; Kapteijn, F.; Sudhölter, E.J.R.; Gascon, J.; Smet, de L.C.P.M.

2016-01-01

We report a simple method for sensor development using polymer-MOF composite films. Nanoparticles of NH2-MIL-53(Al) dispersed in a Matrimid polyimide were applied as a thin film on top of capacitive sensor devices with planar electrodes. These drop-cast films act as an affinity layer. Sensing

Polymer-metal organic framework composite films as affinity layer for capacitive sensor devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sachdeva, Sumit; Soccol, Dimitri; Gravesteijn, Dirk J.; Kapteijn, Freek; Sudhölter, E.J.R.; Gascon, Jorge; Smet, de L.C.P.M.

2016-01-01

We report a simple method for sensor development using polymer-
MOF composite films. Nanoparticles of NH2-MIL-53(Al) dispersed in a Matrimid
polyimide were applied as a thin film on top of capacitive sensor devices with planar electrodes. These drop-cast films act as an affinity layer.

Hot-Electron Intraband Luminescence from Single Hot Spots in Noble-Metal Nanoparticle Films

Science.gov (United States)

Haug, Tobias; Klemm, Philippe; Bange, Sebastian; Lupton, John M.

2015-08-01

Disordered noble-metal nanoparticle films exhibit highly localized and stable nonlinear light emission from subdiffraction regions upon illumination by near-infrared femtosecond pulses. Such hot spot emission spans a continuum in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. Strong plasmonic enhancement of light-matter interaction and the resulting complexity of experimental observations have prevented the development of a universal understanding of the origin of light emission. Here, we study the dependence of emission spectra on excitation irradiance and provide the most direct evidence yet that the continuum emission observed from both silver and gold nanoparticle aggregate surfaces is caused by recombination of hot electrons within the conduction band. The electron gas in the emitting particles, which is effectively decoupled from the lattice temperature for the duration of emission, reaches temperatures of several thousand Kelvin and acts as a subdiffraction incandescent light source on subpicosecond time scales.

Characteristics of Ti films for transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters

CERN Document Server

Ukibe, M; Ohkubo, M; Pressler, H; Kobayashi, N

1999-01-01

We are developing X-ray microcalorimeters using superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs), which can be operated at relatively high base temperatures of a sup 3 He cryostat. For this purpose, we have selected Ti films to be used as TESs. The Ti films were deposited on different substrates by RF-sputtering. It was found that the superconducting properties of the Ti films depended on Ar pressure, film thickness, and substrate surface roughness.

Photonic-Crystal-Based Thin Film Sensor for Detecting Volatile Organic Compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Hyung Kwan; Park, Jung Yul [Sogang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-03-15

Early detection of toxic gases, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is important for safety and environmental protection. However, the conventional detection methods require long-term measurement times and expensive equipment. In this study, we propose a thin-film-type chemical sensor for VOCs, which consists of self assembled monosize nanoparticles for 3-D photonic crystal structures and polydimthylsiloxane (PDMS) film. It is operated without any external power source, is truly portable, and has a fast response time. The structure color of the sensor changes when it is exposed to VOCs, because VOCs induce a swelling of the PDMS. Therefore, using this principle of color change, we can create a thin-film sensor for immediate detection of various types of VOCs. The proposed device evidences that a fast response time of just seconds, along with a clear color change, are successfully observed when the sensor is exposed to gas-phase VOCs.

Synthesis of thick diamond films by direct current hot-cathode plasma chemical vapour deposition

CERN Document Server

Jin Zeng Sun; Bai Yi Zhen; Lu Xian Yi

2002-01-01

The method of direct current hot-cathode plasma chemical vapour deposition has been established. A long-time stable glow discharge at large discharge current and high gas pressure has been achieved by using a hot cathode in the temperature range from 1100 degree C to 1500 degree C and non-symmetrical configuration of the poles, in which the diameter of the cathode is larger than that of anode. High-quality thick diamond films, with a diameter of 40-50 mm and thickness of 0.5-4.2 mm, have been synthesized by this method. Transparent thick diamond films were grown over a range of growth rates between 5-10 mu m/h. Most of the thick diamond films have thermal conductivities of 10-12 W/K centre dot cm. The thick diamond films with high thermal conductivity can be used as a heat sink of semiconducting laser diode array and as a heat spreading and isolation substrate of multichip modules. The performance can be obviously improved

Flexible thin film magnetoimpedance sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurlyandskaya, G.V.; Fernández, E.; Svalov, A.; Burgoa Beitia, A.; García-Arribas, A.; Larrañaga, A.

2016-01-01

Magnetically soft thin film deposited onto polymer substrates is an attractive option for flexible electronics including magnetoimpedance (MI) applications. MI FeNi/Ti based thin film sensitive elements were designed and prepared using the sputtering technique by deposition onto rigid and flexible substrates at different deposition rates. Their structure, magnetic properties and MI were comparatively analyzed. The main structural features were sufficiently accurately reproduced in the case of deposition onto cyclo olefine polymer substrates compared to glass substrates for the same conditions. Although for the best condition (28 nm/min rate) of the deposition onto polymer a significant reduction of the MI field sensitivity was found satisfactory for sensor applications sensitivity: 45%/Oe was obtained for a frequency of 60 MHz. - Highlights: • [FeNi/Ti] 3 /Cu/[FeNi/Ti] 3 films were prepared by sputtering at different deposition rates. • Polymer substrates insure sufficiently accurate reproducibility of the film structure. • High deposition rate of 28 nm/min insures the highest values of the magnetoimpedance sensitivity. • Deposition onto polymer results in the satisfactory magnetoimpedance sensitivity of 45%/Oe.

Flexible thin film magnetoimpedance sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurlyandskaya, G.V., E-mail: galina@we.lc.ehu.es [Universidad del País Vasco, UPV/EHU, Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica, P.O. Box 644, Bilbao 48080 (Spain); Ural Federal University, Laboratory of Magnetic sensoric, Lenin Ave. 51, 620083 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Fernández, E. [BCMaterials UPV-EHU, Vizcaya Science and Technology Park, 48160 Derio (Spain); Svalov, A. [Universidad del País Vasco, UPV/EHU, Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica, P.O. Box 644, Bilbao 48080 (Spain); Ural Federal University, Laboratory of Magnetic sensoric, Lenin Ave. 51, 620083 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Burgoa Beitia, A. [Universidad del País Vasco, UPV/EHU, Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica, P.O. Box 644, Bilbao 48080 (Spain); García-Arribas, A. [Universidad del País Vasco, UPV/EHU, Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica, P.O. Box 644, Bilbao 48080 (Spain); BCMaterials UPV-EHU, Vizcaya Science and Technology Park, 48160 Derio (Spain); Larrañaga, A. [SGIker, Servicios Generales de Investigación, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), 48080 Bilbao (Spain)

2016-10-01

Magnetically soft thin film deposited onto polymer substrates is an attractive option for flexible electronics including magnetoimpedance (MI) applications. MI FeNi/Ti based thin film sensitive elements were designed and prepared using the sputtering technique by deposition onto rigid and flexible substrates at different deposition rates. Their structure, magnetic properties and MI were comparatively analyzed. The main structural features were sufficiently accurately reproduced in the case of deposition onto cyclo olefine polymer substrates compared to glass substrates for the same conditions. Although for the best condition (28 nm/min rate) of the deposition onto polymer a significant reduction of the MI field sensitivity was found satisfactory for sensor applications sensitivity: 45%/Oe was obtained for a frequency of 60 MHz. - Highlights: • [FeNi/Ti]{sub 3}/Cu/[FeNi/Ti]{sub 3} films were prepared by sputtering at different deposition rates. • Polymer substrates insure sufficiently accurate reproducibility of the film structure. • High deposition rate of 28 nm/min insures the highest values of the magnetoimpedance sensitivity. • Deposition onto polymer results in the satisfactory magnetoimpedance sensitivity of 45%/Oe.

Deposition of thermal and hot-wire chemical vapor deposition copper thin films on patterned substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Papadimitropoulos, G; Davazoglou, D

2011-09-01

In this work we study the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) of copper films on blanket and patterned substrates at high filament temperatures. A vertical chemical vapor deposition reactor was used in which the chemical reactions were assisted by a tungsten filament heated at 650 degrees C. Hexafluoroacetylacetonate Cu(I) trimethylvinylsilane (CupraSelect) vapors were used, directly injected into the reactor with the aid of a liquid injection system using N2 as carrier gas. Copper thin films grown also by thermal and hot-wire CVD. The substrates used were oxidized silicon wafers on which trenches with dimensions of the order of 500 nm were formed and subsequently covered with LPCVD W. HWCVD copper thin films grown at filament temperature of 650 degrees C showed higher growth rates compared to the thermally ones. They also exhibited higher resistivities than thermal and HWCVD films grown at lower filament temperatures. Thermally grown Cu films have very uniform deposition leading to full coverage of the patterned substrates while the HWCVD films exhibited a tendency to vertical growth, thereby creating gaps and incomplete step coverage.

Efficient transfer of large-area graphene films onto rigid substrates by hot pressing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Junmo; Hwang, Soonhwi; Kim, Jae Hwan; Kim, Min Hyeok; Ryu, Jaechul; Seo, Sang Jae; Hong, Byung Hee; Kim, Moon Ki; Choi, Jae-Boong

2012-06-26

Graphene films grown on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method have to be safely transferred onto desired substrates for further applications. Recently, a roll-to-roll (R2R) method has been developed for large-area transfer, which is particularly efficient for flexible target substrates. However, in the case of rigid substrates such as glass or wafers, the roll-based method is found to induce considerable mechanical damages on graphene films during the transfer process, resulting in the degradation of electrical property. Here we introduce an improved dry transfer technique based on a hot-pressing method that can minimize damage on graphene by neutralizing mechanical stress. Thus, we enhanced the transfer efficiency of the large-area graphene films on a substrate with arbitrary thickness and rigidity, evidenced by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) images, Raman spectra, and various electrical characterizations. We also performed a theoretical multiscale simulation from continuum to atomic level to compare the mechanical stresses caused by the R2R and the hot-pressing methods, which also supports our conclusion. Consequently, we believe that the proposed hot-pressing method will be immediately useful for display and solar cell applications that currently require rigid and large substrates.

Effect of roll hot press temperature on crystallite size of PVDF film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartono, Ambran, E-mail: ambranhartono@yahoo.com; Sanjaya, Edi [Departement of Physics Faculty of Science and Technology, Islamic State University Syarif Hidayatullah , Jl. Juanda 95 Ciputat Jakarta (Indonesia); Djamal, Mitra; Satira, Suparno; Bahar, Herman [Theoretical High Energy Physics and Instrumentation Group Research, Faculty Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesa 10 Bandung (Indonesia); Ramli [Departement of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Padang, Jl.Prof. Hamka, Padang 25131 (Indonesia)

2014-03-24

Fabrication PVDF films have been made using Hot Roll Press. Preparation of samples carried out for nine different temperatures. This condition is carried out to see the effect of Roll Hot Press temperature on the size of the crystallite of PVDF films. To obtain the diffraction pattern of sample characterization is performed using X-Ray Diffraction. Furthermore, from the diffraction pattern is obtained, the calculation to determine the crystallite size of the sample by using the Scherrer equation. From the experimental results and the calculation of crystallite sizes obtained for the samples with temperature 130 °C up to 170 °C respectively increased from 7.2 nm up to 20.54 nm. These results show that increasing temperatures will also increase the size of the crystallite of the sample. This happens because with the increasing temperature causes the higher the degree of crystallization of PVDF film sample is formed, so that the crystallite size also increases. This condition indicates that the specific volume or size of the crystals depends on the magnitude of the temperature as it has been studied by Nakagawa.

CO2 Selective Potentiometric Sensor in Thick-film Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Moos

2008-08-01

Full Text Available A potentiometric sensor device based on screen-printed Nasicon films was investigated. In order to transfer the promising sensor concept of an open sodium titanate reference to thick film technology, “sodium-rich” and “sodium-poor” formulations were compared. While the “sodium-rich” composition was found to react with the ion conducting Nasicon during thermal treatment, the “sodium-poor” reference mixture was identified as an appropriate reference composition. Screen-printed sensor devices were prepared and tested with respect to CO2 response, reproducibility, and cross-interference of oxygen. Excellent agreement with the theory was observed. With the integration of a screen-printed heater, sensor elements were operated actively heated in a cold gas stream.

QCM gas sensor characterization of ALD-grown very thin TiO2 films

Science.gov (United States)

Boyadjiev, S.; Georgieva, V.; Vergov, L.; Szilágyi, I. M.

2018-03-01

The paper presents a technology for preparation and characterization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films suitable for gas sensor applications. Applying atomic layer deposition (ALD), very thin TiO2 films were deposited on quartz resonators, and their gas sensing properties were studied using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. The TiO2 thin films were grown using Ti(iOPr)4 and water as precursors. The surface of the films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) used for a composition study. The research was focused on the gas-sensing properties of the films. Films of 10-nm thickness were deposited on quartz resonators with Au electrodes and the QCMs were used to build highly sensitive gas sensors, which were tested for detecting NO2. Although very thin, these ALD-grown TiO2 films were sensitive to NO2 already at room temperature and could register as low concentrations as 50 ppm, while the sorption was fully reversible, and the sensors could be fully recovered. With the technology presented, the manufacturing of gas sensors is simple, fast and cost-effective, and suitable for energy-effective portable equipment for real-time environmental monitoring of NO2.

Investigations of microelectronic humidity sensors made of composite oxides thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogossyan, A.S.; Arutyunyan, V.M.

1996-01-01

Basic characteristics (the moisture sensitivity, lag, hysteresis and stability) of humidity sensors made of Fe 2 O 3 thin films with different K 2 content, as well as CaSiO 3 and NaBiTi 2 O 6 films,-new materials for the humidity sensors, are investigated. A composition Fe 2 O 3 (K) is found to be optimal with respect to high moisture sensitivity, speed of response, and a linearity in a wide range of the relative humidity. A mechanism of the moisture-sensitivity of films investigated is discussed. Criteria for the design parameters of the high-impedance humidity sensors are defined with the aim to broadening of the working range of the relative humidity in a side way of low values of the humidity.10 refs

The Effects of Two Thick Film Deposition Methods on Tin Dioxide Gas Sensor Performance

OpenAIRE

Bakrania, Smitesh D.; Wooldridge, Margaret S.

2009-01-01

This work demonstrates the variability in performance between SnO2 thick film gas sensors prepared using two types of film deposition methods. SnO2 powders were deposited on sensor platforms with and without the use of binders. Three commonly utilized binder recipes were investigated, and a new binder-less deposition procedure was developed and characterized. The binder recipes yielded sensors with poor film uniformity and poor structural integrity, compared to the binder-less deposition meth...

Sudden contact of a hot liquid with a volatile coolant: instability of the created vapour film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pion, Agnes

1983-01-01

As the sudden contact of a hot body with a coolant which may evaporate, results, after some delay, in an explosive evaporation, this research thesis proposes an interpretation based on the study of the destabilization of the vapour film which forms at the surface of the hot body. The author reports the modelling of the evolution of the average thickness of the film before the explosion. The possible chemical reactions at the surface of the hot body are taken into account. A base flow is obtained which allows the calculation of the evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which may occur at the gas-coolant interface. This study is applied to the interaction between liquid sodium and water [fr

Layer configurations comparison of bilayer-films for EGFET pH sensor application

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, R. A.; Zulkefle, M. A.; Yusof, K. A.; Abdullah, W. F. H.; Rusop, M.; Herman, S. H.

2018-05-01

The comparison between bilayer configurations were presented in this paper. TiO2 and ZnO layer configurations were manipulated in order to investigate which configuration produce highest sensing performance to be applied as EGFET pH sensor. Both of the materials were deposited together as the bilayer film. The configurations were manipulated between TiO2/ZnO and ZnO/TiO2. ITO was used as the substrate in this study and both of the materials were deposited by using sol-gel spin coating technique. After deposition process, these bilayer film then undergone for EGFET pH sensor measurement and physical characterization. The EGFET pH sensor measurement was done by dipping the fabricated bilayer film into three different pH values, which is pH4, pH7 and pH10. Bilayer film act as the pH-sensitive membrane, which connected to the commercial metal-oxide semiconductor FET (MOSFET). This MOSFET was connected to the interfacing circuit. Voltage output obtained were recorded and the graph was plotted by using the data recorded. Based on the EGFET pH sensor measurement, TiO2/ZnO bilayer film exhibit higher sensing performance, compared with ZnO/TiO2. TiO2/ZnO bilayer film produced 53.10 mV/pH with the linearity value of 0.9913. Afterwards, fabricated bilayer films then were characterized with AFM to explore their surface roughness and surface topography behavior.

Spray Pyrolyzed Polycrystalline Tin Oxide Thin Film as Hydrogen Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganesh E. Patil

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Polycrystalline tin oxide (SnO2 thin film was prepared by using simple and inexpensive spray pyrolysis technique (SPT. The film was characterized for their phase and morphology by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, respectively. The crystallite size calculated from the XRD pattern is 84 nm. Conductance responses of the polycrystalline SnO2 were measured towards gases like hydrogen (H2, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, ethanol vapors (C2H5OH, NH3, CO, CO2, Cl2 and O2. The gas sensing characteristics were obtained by measuring the sensor response as a function of various controlling factors like operating temperature, operating voltages (1 V, 5 V, 10 V 15 V, 20 V and 25 V and concentration of gases. The sensor response measurement showed that the SnO2 has maximum response to hydrogen. Furthermore; the SnO2 based sensor exhibited fast response and good recovery towards hydrogen at temperature 150 oC. The result of response towards H2 reveals that SnO2 thin film prepared by SPT would be a suitable material for the fabrication of the hydrogen sensor.

Reducing the capacitance of piezoelectric film sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González, Martín G., E-mail: mggonza@fi.uba.ar [Grupo de Láser, Óptica de Materiales y Aplicaciones Electromagnéticas (GLOMAE), Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Buenos Aires (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB Buenos Aires (Argentina); Sorichetti, Patricio A.; Santiago, Guillermo D. [Grupo de Láser, Óptica de Materiales y Aplicaciones Electromagnéticas (GLOMAE), Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2016-04-15

We present a novel design for large area, wideband, polymer piezoelectric sensor with low capacitance. The large area allows better spatial resolution in applications such as photoacoustic tomography and the reduced capacitance eases the design of fast transimpedance amplifiers. The metalized piezoelectric polymer thin film is segmented into N sections, electrically connected in series. In this way, the total capacitance is reduced by a factor 1/N{sup 2}, whereas the mechanical response and the active area of the sensor are not modified. We show the construction details for a two-section sensor, together with the impedance spectroscopy and impulse response experimental results that validate the design.

Reducing the capacitance of piezoelectric film sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González, Martín G.; Sorichetti, Patricio A.; Santiago, Guillermo D.

2016-01-01

We present a novel design for large area, wideband, polymer piezoelectric sensor with low capacitance. The large area allows better spatial resolution in applications such as photoacoustic tomography and the reduced capacitance eases the design of fast transimpedance amplifiers. The metalized piezoelectric polymer thin film is segmented into N sections, electrically connected in series. In this way, the total capacitance is reduced by a factor 1/N"2, whereas the mechanical response and the active area of the sensor are not modified. We show the construction details for a two-section sensor, together with the impedance spectroscopy and impulse response experimental results that validate the design.

An objective protocol for comparing the noise performance of silver halide film and digital sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Frédéric; Guichard, Frédéric; Hornung, Hervé; Tessière, Régis

2012-01-01

Digital sensors have obviously invaded the photography mass market. However, some photographers with very high expectancy still use silver halide film. Are they only nostalgic reluctant to technology or is there more than meets the eye? The answer is not so easy if we remark that, at the end of the golden age, films were actually scanned before development. Nowadays film users have adopted digital technology and scan their film to take advantage from digital processing afterwards. Therefore, it is legitimate to evaluate silver halide film "with a digital eye", with the assumption that processing can be applied as for a digital camera. The article will describe in details the operations we need to consider the film as a RAW digital sensor. In particular, we have to account for the film characteristic curve, the autocorrelation of the noise (related to film grain) and the sampling of the digital sensor (related to Bayer filter array). We also describe the protocol that was set, from shooting to scanning. We then present and interpret the results of sensor response, signal to noise ratio and dynamic range.

Hot pixel generation in active pixel sensors: dosimetric and micro-dosimetric response

Science.gov (United States)

Scheick, Leif; Novak, Frank

2003-01-01

The dosimetric response of an active pixel sensor is analyzed. heavy ions are seen to damage the pixel in much the same way as gamma radiation. The probability of a hot pixel is seen to exhibit behavior that is not typical with other microdose effects.

Industrialization of Hot Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition for thin film applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schropp, R.E.I.

2015-01-01

The consequences of implementing a Hot Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) chamber into an existing in-line or roll-to-roll reactor are described. The hardware and operation of the HWCVD production reactor is compared to that of existing roll-to-roll reactors based on Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. The most important consequences are the technical consequences and the economic consequences, which are both discussed. The technical consequences are adaptations needed to the hardware and to the processing sequences due to the different interaction of the HWCVD process with the substrate and already deposited layers. The economic consequences are the reduced investments in radio frequency (RF) supplies and RF components. This is partially offset by investments that have to be made in higher capacity pumping systems. The most mature applications of HWCVD are moisture barrier coatings for thin film flexible devices such as Organic Light Emitting Diodes and Organic Photovoltaics, and passivation layers for multicrystalline Si solar cells, high mobility field effect transistors, and silicon heterojunction cells (also known as heterojunction cells with intrinsic thin film layers). Another example is the use of Si in thin film photovoltaics. The cost perspective per unit of thin film photovoltaic product using HWCVD is estimated at 0.07 €/Wp for the Si thin film component. - Highlights: • Review of consequences of implementing Hot Wire CVD into a manufacturing plant • Aspects of scaling up to large area and continuous manufacturing are discussed • Economic advantage of introducing a HWCVD process in a production system is estimated • Using HWCVD, the cost for the Si layers in photovoltaic products is 0.08 €/Wp.

Industrialization of Hot Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition for thin film applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schropp, R.E.I., E-mail: r.e.i.schropp@tue.nl

2015-11-30

The consequences of implementing a Hot Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) chamber into an existing in-line or roll-to-roll reactor are described. The hardware and operation of the HWCVD production reactor is compared to that of existing roll-to-roll reactors based on Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. The most important consequences are the technical consequences and the economic consequences, which are both discussed. The technical consequences are adaptations needed to the hardware and to the processing sequences due to the different interaction of the HWCVD process with the substrate and already deposited layers. The economic consequences are the reduced investments in radio frequency (RF) supplies and RF components. This is partially offset by investments that have to be made in higher capacity pumping systems. The most mature applications of HWCVD are moisture barrier coatings for thin film flexible devices such as Organic Light Emitting Diodes and Organic Photovoltaics, and passivation layers for multicrystalline Si solar cells, high mobility field effect transistors, and silicon heterojunction cells (also known as heterojunction cells with intrinsic thin film layers). Another example is the use of Si in thin film photovoltaics. The cost perspective per unit of thin film photovoltaic product using HWCVD is estimated at 0.07 €/Wp for the Si thin film component. - Highlights: • Review of consequences of implementing Hot Wire CVD into a manufacturing plant • Aspects of scaling up to large area and continuous manufacturing are discussed • Economic advantage of introducing a HWCVD process in a production system is estimated • Using HWCVD, the cost for the Si layers in photovoltaic products is 0.08 €/Wp.

Final report for EMP instrumentation project DNA IACRO 75-815: magnetic thin film sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, E.J.; Miller, D.E.; Vindelov, K.E.; Brown, T.G.

1975-01-01

The magnetic thin film current sensor/recorder is a passive device which responds to the peak current and pulse shape of a transient event. The transient current information becomes a permanent record on the film. The thin film device is small, low mass and reusable. It has been proven to be fast (less than 1/2 nanosecond response), radiation hard and applicable to peak current measurement of both CW and pulsed signals. The sensors were initially developed at LLL for pulse-energy measurement on exploding wires. Later the Defense Nuclear Agency sponsored the present project to develop the magnetic thin film devices as EMP diagnostic tools. The Air Force Weapons Lab supported the work to test the field capabilities of the thin film devices at ARES test facility, Kirtland AFB. Sandia Lab is now using a new version of the thin film sensors to monitor the transient current induced by intense radiation in their hybrid microcircuits. Also, a field test has been planned with Naval Electronics Laboratory Center where the thin film sensors are to be used to measure peak CW current caused by rf radiation. Research results are summarized

Nanoparticles for dewetting suppression of thin polymer films used in chemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, Melissa A.; Mackay, Michael E.; Giunta, Rachel K.

2007-01-01

Addition of fullerenes (C 60 or buckyballs) to a linear polymer has been found to eliminate dewetting when a thin (∼50 nm) film is exposed to solvent vapor. Based on neutron reflectivity measurements, it is found that the fullerenes form a coherent layer approximately 2 nm thick at the substrate - polymer film interface during the spin-coating process. The thickness and relative fullerene concentration (∼29 vol%) is not altered during solvent vapor annealing and it is thought this layer forms a solid-like buffer shielding the adverse van der Waals forces promoted by the underlying substrate. Several polymer films produced by spin- or spray-coating were tested on both silicon wafers and live surface acoustic wave sensors demonstrating fullerenes stabilize many different polymer types, prepared by different procedures and on various surfaces. Further, the fullerenes drastically improve sensor performance since dewetted films produce a sensor that is effectively inoperable

Hot-film anemometry in air-water flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delahaye, J.M.; Galaup, J.P.

1975-01-01

Local measurements of void fraction and liquid velocity in a steady-state air-water bubbly flow at atmospheric pressure are presented. Use was made of a constant temperature anemometer and of a conical hot-film probe. The signal was processed with a multi-channel analyzer. Void fraction and liquid velocities are determined from the amplitude histogram of the signal. The integrated void fraction over a diameter is compared with the average void fraction along the same diameter obtained with a γ-ray absorption method. The liquid volumetric flow-rate is calculated from the void fraction and liquid velocity profiles and compared with the indication given by a turbine flowmeter [fr

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic Analysis of RuO2 Based Thick Film pH Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manjakkal, Libu; Djurdjic, Elvira; Cvejin, Katarina; Kulawik, Jan; Zaraska, Krzysztof; Szwagierczak, Dorota

2015-01-01

The conductimetric interdigitated thick film pH sensors based on RuO 2 were fabricated and their electrochemical reactions with solutions of different pH values were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The microstructural properties and composition of the sensitive films were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The EIS analysis of the sensor was carried out in the frequency range 10 mHz–2 MHz for pH values of test solutions 2–12. The electrical parameters of the sensor were found to vary with changing pH. The conductance and capacitance of the film were distinctly dependent on pH in the low frequency range. The Nyquist and Bode plots derived from the impedance data for the metal oxide thick film pH sensor provided information about the underlying electrochemical reactions

THIN FILM-BASED SENSOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLE EXHAUST GAS, NH3, AND CO DETECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sujarwata

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A copper phthalocyanine (CuPc thin film based gas sensor with FET structure and channel length 100 μm has been prepared by VE method and lithography technique to detect NH3, motor cycle exhaust gases and CO. CuPc material layer was deposited on SiO2 by the vacuum evaporator (VE method at room temperature and pressure of 8 x10-4 Pa. The stages of manufacturing gas sensor were Si/SiO2 substrate blenching with ethanol in an ultrasonic cleaner, source, and drain electrodes deposition on the substrate by using a vacuum evaporator, thin film deposition between the source/drain and gate deposition. The sensor response times to NH3, motorcycle exhaust gases and CO were 75 s, 135 s, and 150, respectively. The recovery times were 90 s, 150 s and 225, respectively. It is concluded that the CuPc thin film-based gas sensor with FET structure is the best sensor to detect the NH3 gas.Sensor gas berbasis film tipis copper phthalocyanine (CuPc berstruktur FET dengan panjang channel 100 μm telah dibuatdengan metode VE dan teknik lithography untuk mendeteksi NH3 gas buang kendaraan bermotor dan CO. Lapisan bahan CuPc dideposisikan pada permukaan silikon dioksida (SiO2 dengan metode vacuum evaporator (VE pada temperatur ruang dengan tekanan 8 x10-4 Pa. Tahapan pembuatan sensor gas adalah pencucian substrat Si/SiO2 dengan etanol dalam ultrasonic cleaner, deposisi elektroda source dan drain di atas substrat dengan metode vacuum evaporator, deposisi film tipis diantara source/drain dan deposisi gate. Waktu tanggap sensor terhadap NH3, gas buang kendaraan bermotor dan CO berturut-turut adalah 75 s, 135 s,dan 150 s. Waktu pemulihan berturut-turut adalah 90 s, 150 s,dan 225 s. Disimpulkan bahwa sensor gas berstruktur FET berbasis film tipis CuPc merupakan sensor paling baik untuk mendeteksi adanya gas NH3.

Thin film heat flux sensor for Space Shuttle Main Engine turbine environment

Science.gov (United States)

Will, Herbert

1991-01-01

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) turbine environment stresses engine components to their design limits and beyond. The extremely high temperatures and rapid temperature cycling can easily cause parts to fail if they are not properly designed. Thin film heat flux sensors can provide heat loading information with almost no disturbance of gas flows or of the blade. These sensors can provide steady state and transient heat flux information. A thin film heat flux sensor is described which makes it easier to measure small temperature differences across very thin insulating layers.

Film Sensor Device Fabricated by a Piezoelectric Poly(L-lactic acid) Film

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Masamichi; Kawamura, Hideki; Kageyama, Keisuke; Tajitsu, Yoshiro

2012-09-01

Synthetic piezoelectric polymer films produced from petroleum feedstock have long been used as thin-film sensors and actuators. However, the fossil fuel requirements for synthetic polymer production and carbon dioxide emission from its combustion have raised concern about the environmental impact of its continued use. Eco-friendly biomass polymers, such as poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), are made from plant-based (vegetable starch) plastics and, thus, have a much smaller carbon footprint. Additionally, PLLA does not exhibit pyroelectricity or unnecessary poling. This suggests the usefulness of PLLA films for the human-machine interface (HMI). As an example of a new HMI, we have produced a TV remote control using a PLLA film. The intuitive operation provided by this PLLA device suggests that it is useful for the elderly or handicapped.

Binary Channel SAW Mustard Gas Sensor Based on PdPc0.3PANI0.7 hybrid Sensitive Film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Y B; Xiang, J J; Feng, Q H; Hu, Z P; Zhang, H Q; Guo, J Y

2006-01-01

This paper discussed the working principle of binary channel surface acoustic wave (SAW) lithium niobate piezoelectric chip detecting mustard, established the mathematic model of beat frequency output Δf and the mustard gas density δ. The MEMS craft solved the parameters of the binary channel SAW chip such as its interdigital electrode number was 15∼25 couple, width and spacing were both 25μm, degree of overlapping was 2mm, fundamental frequency was 10∼35MHz, frequency-domain width was 5∼20Hz, and its back pt hot film's. According to TG-DSC thermal analysis, vacuum coating craft was adopted to solve the hybrid sensitive film forming craft parameter of PdPc 0.3 PANI 0.7 (phthalocyanine palladium 0.3 Poiyaniline 0.7 ). The micro-appearance of sensitive film was analyzed through SEM. The sensor's sensitivity and response characteristic were tested and analyzed: appear linear change, its response time is less than 5min while its recovery time is less than 8min

Sensors of the gas CO in thin film of SnO2:Cu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tirado G, S.; Sanchez Z, F. E.

2011-10-01

Thin films of SnO 2 :Cu with different thickness, were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates and prepared by the Sol-gel process and repeated immersion. The sensor properties of these films to the gas CO for the range of 0-200 ppm in the gas concentration and operating to temperatures of 23, 100, 200, and 300 C were studied. Prepared films of pure SnO 2 were modified superficially with 1, 3, 5 and 10 layers of the catalyst Cu (SnO 2 :Cu) with the purpose of studying the effect on the sensor capacity of the gas CO by part of the films SnO 2 :Cu. Using the changes in the electric properties of the films with the incorporation of the different copper layers and experimental conditions, the sensor modifications of the gas CO were evaluated. To complete this study, was realized a characterization of the superficial morphology of the films by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, equally was studied their structure and their electric and optical properties. (Author)

Ag/PEPC/NiPc/ZnO/Ag thin film capacitive and resistive humidity sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karimov, Kh. S.; Saleem, M.; Murtaza, Imran; Farooq, M.; Cheong, Kuan Yew; Noor, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd

2010-01-01

A thin film of blended poly-N-epoxypropylcarbazole (PEPC) (25 wt.%), nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) (50 wt.%) and ZnO nano-powder (25 wt.%) in benzene (5 wt.%) was spin-coated on a glass substrate with silver electrodes to produce a surface-type Ag/PEPC/NiPc/ZnO/Ag capacitive and resistive sensor. Sensors with two different PEPC/NiPc/ZnO film thicknesses (330 and 400 nm) were fabricated and compared. The effects of humidity on capacitance and resistance of the Ag/PEPC/NiPc/ZnO/Ag sensors were investigated at two frequencies of the applied voltage: 120 Hz and 1 kHz. It was observed that at 120 Hz under humidity of up to 95% RH the capacitance of the sensors increased by 540 times and resistance decreased by 450 times with respect to humidity conditions of 50% RH. It was found that the sensor with a thinner semiconducting film (330 nm) was more sensitive than the sensor with a thicker film (400 nm). The sensitivity was improved when the sensor was used at a lower frequency as compared with a high frequency. It is assumed that the humidity response of the sensors is associated with absorption of water vapors and doping of water molecules in the semiconductor blend layer. This had been proven by simulation of the capacitance-humidity relationship. (semiconductor devices)

Nanocrystalline Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films: A selective ethanol gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, Pratibha; Godbole, R.V.; Bhagwat, Sunita, E-mail: smb.agc@gmail.com

2016-10-15

In this work, Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were investigated for the detection of reducing gases. These films were fabricated using spray pyrolysis technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystal structure. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetization measurements were carried out using SQUID VSM, which shows ferrimagnetic behavior of the samples. These thin film sensors were tested against methanol, ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and liquid petroleum gas, where they were found to be more selective to ethanol. The fabricated thin film sensors exhibited linear response signal for all the gases with concentrations up to 5 w/o Pd. Reduction in optimum operating temperature and enhancement in response was also observed. Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films exhibited faster response and recovery characteristic. These sensors have potential for industrial applications because of their long-term stability, low power requirement and low production cost. - Highlights: • Ethanol gas sensors based on Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticle thin film were fabricated. • Pd incorporation in NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} matrix inhibits grain growth. • The sensors were more selective to ethanol gas. • Sensors exhibited fast response and recovery when doped with palladium. • Pd:NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin film sensor displays excellent long–term stability.

Oxygen sensor using proton-conductor thick-film operative at room temperature. Puroton dodentai atsumaku wo mochiita joon sadogata sanso sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miura, Norio; Yoshida, Nobuaki; Matayoshi, Naoko; Shimizu, Yoichi; Yamazoe, Noboru; Kuwata, Shigeki [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, (Japan) Niihama National College of Tech., Ehime, (Japan)

1989-10-01

An amperometric solid-state oxygen sensor using a proton-conductor thick-film was examined as a miniaturized and intelligent oxygen sensor operative at room temperature. The good-conditioned proton-conductor film of about 10{mu}m in thickness without holes was formed on a porous alumina substrate by spin-coating the paste containing antimonic acid and a polyvinyl alcohol binder. Using this material, the thick-film oxygen sensor was made. A limiting current, controlled by oxygen permeation through the gas-diffusion layer, was observed when an external voltage was over 1.4V. The limiting current increased linearly with an increase in oxygen partial pressure up to 1.0 atm at an external voltage of 1.6V. The 90% response time for increasing oxygen partial pressure was about 40 seconds at 30 centigrade. Moreover, it was found that the sensor could also respond to dissolved oxygen in water at room temperature. With a sensor using a hydrophobic gas-diffusion layer containing a polystyrene binder, the limiting current was linear to the dissolved oxygen concentration up to 20ppm. 15 refs., 5 figs.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon sensors based on thin film on ASIC technology

CERN Document Server

Despeisse, M; Anelli, G; Jarron, P; Kaplon, J; Rusack, R; Saramad, S; Wyrsch, N

2006-01-01

The performance and limitations of a novel detector technology based on the deposition of a thin-film sensor on top of processed integrated circuits have been studied. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films have been deposited on top of CMOS circuits developed for these studies and the resulting "thin-film on ASIC" (TFA) detectors are presented. The leakage current of the a-Si:H sensor at high reverse biases turns out to be an important parameter limiting the performance of a TFA detector. Its detailed study and the pixel segmentation of the detector are presented. High internal electric fields (in the order of 10/sup 4/-10/sup 5/ V/cm) can be built in the a-Si:H sensor and overcome the low mobility of electrons and holes in a-Si:H. Signal induction by generated carrier motion and speed in the a-Si:H sensor have been studied with a 660 nm pulsed laser on a TFA detector based on an ASIC integrating 5 ns peaking time pre- amplifiers. The measurement set-up also permits to study the depletion of the senso...

Oral transmucosal delivery of domperidone from immediate release films produced via hot-melt extrusion technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Palem, Chinna Reddy; Kumar Battu, Sunil; Maddineni, Sindhuri; Gannu, Ramesh; Repka, Michael A; Yamsani, Madhusudan Rao

2013-02-01

The objective of the study was to prepare and characterize the domperidone (DOM) hot-melt extruded (HME) buccal films by both in vitro and in vivo techniques. The HME film formulations contained PEO N10 and/or its combination with HPMC E5 LV or Eudragit RL100 as polymeric carriers, and PEG3350 as a plasticizer. The blends were co-processed at a screw speed of 50 rpm with the barrel temperatures ranging from 120-160°C utilizing a bench top co-rotating twin-screw hot-melt extruder using a transverse-slit die. The HME films were evaluated for drug content, drug excipient interaction, in vitro drug release, mechanical properties, in vivo residence time, in vitro bioadhesion, swelling and erosion, ex vivo permeation from HME films and the selected optimal formulation was subjected for bioavailability studies in healthy human volunteers. The extruded films demonstrated no drug excipient interaction and excellent content uniformity. The selected HME film formulation (DOM2) exhibited a tensile strength (0.72 Kg/mm(2)), elongation at break (28.4% mm(2)), in vivo residence time (120 min), peak detachment force (1.55 N), work of adhesion (1.49 mJ), swelling index (210.2%), erosion (10.5%) and in vitro drug release of 84.8% in 2 h. Bioavailability from the optimized HME buccal films was 1.5 times higher than the oral dosage form and the results showed statistically significant (p buccal-adhesive films with improved bioavailability characteristics.

Development of a slip sensor using separable bilayer with Ecoflex-NBR film

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung Joon; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Ja Choon

2017-04-01

Polymer film-type slip sensor is presented by using novel working principle rather than measuring micro-vibration. The sensor is comprised of bilayer with Ecoflex and NBR(acrylonitrile butadiene rubber) films divided by di-electric. When slip occur on surface, bilayer have relative displacement from each other because friction-induced vibration make a clearance between two layers. This displacement can be obtained by capacitance difference. CNT(carbon nanotube) was employed for electrode because of flexible and stretchable characteristics. Also normal and shear force can be decoupled by the working principle. To verify developed sensor, slip test apparatus was designed and experiments were conducted.

A cubic boron nitride film-based fluorescent sensor for detecting Hg2+

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, W. M.; Zhao, W. W.; Zhang, H. Y.; Wang, P. F.; Chong, Y. M.; Ye, Q.; Zou, Y. S.; Zhang, W. J.; Zapien, J. A.; Bello, I.; Lee, S. T.

2009-05-01

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) film-based sensors for detecting Hg2+ ions were developed by surface functionalization with dansyl chloride. To immobilize dansyl chloride, 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane was modified on hydroxylated cBN surfaces to form an amino-group-terminated self-assembled monolayer. The covalent attachment of the amino groups was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The selectivity and sensitivity of the sensors to detect diverse metal cations in ethanol solutions were studied by using fluorescence spectroscopy, revealing a great selectivity to Hg2+ ions. Significantly, the dansyl-chloride-functionalized cBN film sensors were recyclable after the sensing test.

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO3 + LiF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassas, Ahmad; Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand; Lakiss, Hassan; Hamieh, Tayssir

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO 3 + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO 3 /LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time

Effects of palladium coatings on oxygen sensors of titanium dioxide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castaneda, L.

2007-01-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 -anatase phase) thin films were deposited by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique employing titanium (IV) oxide acetylacetonate (TiO(acac) 2 ) dissolved in pure methanol as a source material. In order to prepare oxygen sensors, TiO 2 thin films were deposited on interdigitated gold electrodes with contacted alumina substrates. Palladium (Pd) coatings were carried out by vacuum thermal evaporation through a metallic mask. The effect of the surface additive (Pd) on the response of the thin film TiO 2 oxygen sensors was monitored in a mixture with zero-grade air. The electrical characterization (monitoring of the electrical surface resistance with the operation temperature) of the sensors in an atmosphere of oxygen (diluted in zero-grade air) was performed in a vacuum chamber (10 -6 Torr), where the gas pressure can be controlled. The films sensitivity was estimated by the following relation: s=R gas -R 0 /R 0 . The response time of the sensor is defined to be the time needed to reach a 0.9R 0 value when the oxygen excess is removed. The gas-sensing properties of TiO 2 sensors in an atmosphere of 10 4 ppm of oxygen were measured between 100 and 450 deg. C. Experimental results obtained using palladium as a surface additive show that the sensitivity reaches a stationary value of 1.18 for O 2 concentration of 100ppm in zero-grade air at 300 deg. C, which is as high as those reported for oxygen sensors prepared with more expensive and complex techniques. The role and activity of palladium coatings incorporated on solid-state oxygen sensors are determined by their chemical state, aggregation form and interaction with the metal-oxide semiconductor

Preparation and characterization of ALD deposited ZnO thin films studied for gas sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyadjiev, S.I., E-mail: boiajiev@gmail.com [MTA-BME Technical Analytical Chemistry Research Group, Szent Gellért tér 4, Budapest, H-1111 (Hungary); Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Georgieva, V. [Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Yordanov, R. [Department of Microelectronics, Technical University of Sofia, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1756 Sofia (Bulgaria); Raicheva, Z. [Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Szilágyi, I.M. [MTA-BME Technical Analytical Chemistry Research Group, Szent Gellért tér 4, Budapest, H-1111 (Hungary); Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Szent Gellért tér 4, Budapest, H-1111 (Hungary)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • For the first time the gas sensing towards NO{sub 2} of very thin ALD ZnO films is studied. • The very thin ALD ZnO films showed excellent sensitivity to NO{sub 2} at room temperature. • These very thin film ZnO-based QCM sensors very well register even low concentrations. • The sensors have fully reversible sorption and are able to be recovered in short time. • Described fast and cost-effective ALD deposition of ZnO thin films for QCM gas sensor. - Abstract: Applying atomic layer deposition (ALD), very thin zinc oxide (ZnO) films were deposited on quartz resonators, and their gas sensing properties were studied using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. The gas sensing of the ZnO films to NO{sub 2} was tested in the concentration interval between 10 and 5000 ppm. On the basis of registered frequency change of the QCM, for each concentration the sorbed mass was calculated. Further characterization of the films was carried out by various techniques, i.e. by SEM-EDS, XRD, ellipsometry, and FTIR spectroscopy. Although being very thin, the films were gas sensitive to NO{sub 2} already at room temperature and could register very well as low concentrations as 100 ppm, while the sorption was fully reversible. Our results for very thin ALD ZnO films show that the described fast, simple and cost-effective technology could be implemented for producing gas sensors working at room temperature and being capable to detect in real time low concentrations of NO{sub 2}.

Alcohol Recognition by Flexible, Transparent and Highly Sensitive Graphene-Based Thin-Film Sensors

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xuezhu

2017-06-22

Chemical sensors detect a variety of chemicals across numerous fields, such as automobile, aerospace, safety, indoor air quality, environmental control, food, industrial production and medicine. We successfully assemble an alcohol-sensing device comprising a thin-film sensor made of graphene nanosheets (GNs) and bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BCNs). We show that the GN/BCN sensor has a high selectivity to ethanol by distinguishing liquid-phase or vapor-phase ethanol (C2H6O) from water (H2O) intelligently with accurate transformation into electrical signals in devices. The BCN component of the film amplifies the ethanol sensitivity of the film, whereby the GN/BCN sensor has 12400% sensitivity for vapor-phase ethanol compared to the pure GN sensor, which has only 21% sensitivity. Finally, GN/BCN sensors demonstrate fast response/recovery times and a wide range of alcohol detection (10-100%). The superior sensing ability of GN/BCN compared to GNs alone is due to the improved wettability of BCNs and the ionization of liquids. We prove a facile, green, low-cost route for the assembly of ethanol-sensing devices with potential for vast application.

Film-based Sensors with Piezoresistive Molecular Conductors as Active Components Strain Damage and Thermal Regeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Laukhina

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The article is addressed to the development of flexible all-organic bi layer (BL film-based sensors being capable of measuring strain as a well-defined electrical signal in a wide range of elongations and temperature. The purpose was achieved by covering polycarbonate films with the polycrystalline layer of a high piezoresistive organic molecular conductor. To determine restrictions for sensor applications, the effect of monoaxial strain on the resistance and texture of the sensing layers of BL films was studied. The experiments have shown that the maximum strain before fracture is about 1 %. A thermal regeneration of the sensing layer of the BL film-based sensors that were damaged by cyclic load is also described. These sensors are able to take the place of conventional metal-based strain and pressure gages in low cost innovative controlling and monitoring technologies.

Droplet deposition measurement with high-speed camera and novel high-speed liquid film sensor with high spatial resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damsohn, M.; Prasser, H.-M.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Development of a sensor for time- and space-resolved droplet deposition in annular flow. → Experimental measurement of droplet deposition in horizontal annular flow to compare readings of the sensor with images of a high-speed camera when droplets are depositing unto the liquid film. → Self-adaptive signal filter based on autoregression to separate droplet impacts in the sensor signal from waves of liquid films. - Abstract: A sensor based on the electrical conductance method is presented for the measurement of dynamic liquid films in two-phase flow. The so called liquid film sensor consists of a matrix with 64 x 16 measuring points, a spatial resolution of 3.12 mm and a time resolution of 10 kHz. Experiments in a horizontal co-current air-water film flow were conducted to test the capability of the sensor to detect droplet deposition from the gas core onto the liquid film. The experimental setup is equipped with the liquid film sensor and a high speed camera (HSC) recording the droplet deposition with a sampling rate of 10 kHz simultaneously. In some experiments the recognition of droplet deposition on the sensor is enhanced by marking the droplets with higher electrical conductivity. The comparison between the HSC and the sensor shows, that the sensor captures the droplet deposition above a certain droplet diameter. The impacts of droplet deposition can be filtered from the wavy structures respectively conductivity changes of the liquid film using a filter algorithm based on autoregression. The results will be used to locally measure droplet deposition e.g. in the proximity of spacers in a subchannel geometry.

Hot plate annealing at a low temperature of a thin ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) film with an improved crystalline structure for sensors and actuators.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdi, Rahman Ismael; Gan, W C; Abd Majid, W H

2014-10-14

Ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) copolymer 70/30 thin films are prepared by spin coating. The crystalline structure of these films is investigated by varying the annealing temperature from the ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase. A hot plate was used to produce a direct and an efficient annealing effect on the thin film. The dielectric, ferroelectric and pyroelectric properties of the P(VDF-TrFE) thin films are measured as a function of different annealing temperatures (80 to 140 °C). It was found that an annealing temperature of 100 °C (slightly above the Curie temperature, Tc) has induced a highly crystalline β phase with a rod-like crystal structure, as examined by X-ray. Such a crystal structure yields a high remanent polarization, Pr = 94 mC/m2, and pyroelectric constant, p = 24 μC/m2K. A higher annealing temperature exhibits an elongated needle-like crystal domain, resulting in a decrease in the crystalline structure and the functional electrical properties. This study revealed that highly crystalline P(VDF-TrFE) thin films could be induced at 100 °C by annealing the thin film with a simple and cheap method.

Evaluating and improving the performance of thin film force sensors within body and device interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Likitlersuang, Jirapat; Leineweber, Matthew J; Andrysek, Jan

2017-10-01

Thin film force sensors are commonly used within biomechanical systems, and at the interface of the human body and medical and non-medical devices. However, limited information is available about their performance in such applications. The aims of this study were to evaluate and determine ways to improve the performance of thin film (FlexiForce) sensors at the body/device interface. Using a custom apparatus designed to load the sensors under simulated body/device conditions, two aspects were explored relating to sensor calibration and application. The findings revealed accuracy errors of 23.3±17.6% for force measurements at the body/device interface with conventional techniques of sensor calibration and application. Applying a thin rigid disc between the sensor and human body and calibrating the sensor using compliant surfaces was found to substantially reduce measurement errors to 2.9±2.0%. The use of alternative calibration and application procedures is recommended to gain acceptable measurement performance from thin film force sensors in body/device applications. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Superconducting Film Flux Transformer for a Sensor of a Weak Magnetic Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichkitidze, L; Mironyuk, A

2012-01-01

The object of study is a superconducting film flux transformer in the form of a square shaped loop with the tapering operative strip used in a sensor of a weak magnetic field. The magnetosensitive film element based on the giant magnetoresistance effect is overlapped with the tapering operative strip of the flux transformer; it is separated from the latter by the insulator film. It is shown that the topological nanostructuring of the operative strip of the flux transformer increases its gain factor by one or more orders of magnitude, i.e. increases its efficiency, which leads to a significant improvement of important parameters of a magnetic-field sensor.

Flexible room-temperature formaldehyde sensors based on rGO film and rGo/MoS2 hybrid film.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xian; Wang, Jing; Xie, Dan; Xu, Jianlong; Xia, Yi; Li, Weiwei; Xiang, Lan; Li, Zhemin; Xu, Shiwei; Komarneni, Sridhar

2017-08-11

Gas sensors based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films and rGO/MoS 2 hybrid films were fabricated on polyethylene naphthalate substrates by a simple self-assembly method, which yielded flexible devices for detection of formaldehyde (HCHO) at room temperature. The sensing test results indicated that the rGO and rGO/MoS 2 sensors were highly sensitive and fully recoverable to a ppm-level of HCHO. The bending and fatigue test results revealed that the sensors were also mechanically robust, durable and effective for long-term use. The rGO/MoS 2 sensors showed higher sensitivities than rGO sensors, which was attributed to the enhanced HCHO adsorption and electron transfer mediated by MoS 2 . Furthermore, two kinds of MoS 2 nanosheets were prepared by either hydrothermal synthesis or chemical exfoliation and were compared for their detection of HCHO, which revealed that the hydrothermally produced MoS 2 nanosheets with rich defects led to enhanced sensitivity of the rGO/MoS 2 sensors. Moreover, these fabricated flexible sensors can be applied for the HCHO detection in food packaging.

Nanocrystalline Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films: A selective ethanol gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Pratibha; Godbole, R. V.; Bhagwat, Sunita

2016-10-01

In this work, Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films were investigated for the detection of reducing gases. These films were fabricated using spray pyrolysis technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the crystal structure. The surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetization measurements were carried out using SQUID VSM, which shows ferrimagnetic behavior of the samples. These thin film sensors were tested against methanol, ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and liquid petroleum gas, where they were found to be more selective to ethanol. The fabricated thin film sensors exhibited linear response signal for all the gases with concentrations up to 5 w/o Pd. Reduction in optimum operating temperature and enhancement in response was also observed. Pd:NiFe2O4 thin films exhibited faster response and recovery characteristic. These sensors have potential for industrial applications because of their long-term stability, low power requirement and low production cost.

Fabrication and characteristics of magnetic field sensors based on nano-polysilicon thin-film transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Xiaofeng; Wen Dianzhong; Zhuang Cuicui; Cao Jingya; Wang Zhiqiang

2013-01-01

A magnetic field sensor based on nano-polysilicon thin films transistors (TFTs) with Hall probes is proposed. The magnetic field sensors are fabricated on 〈100〉 orientation high resistivity (ρ > 500 Ω·cm) silicon substrates by using CMOS technology, which adopt nano-polysilicon thin films with thicknesses of 90 nm and heterojunction interfaces between the nano-polysilicon thin films and the high resistivity silicon substrates as the sensing layers. The experimental results show that when V DS = 5.0 V, the magnetic sensitivities of magnetic field sensors based on nano-polysilicon TFTs with length—width ratios of 160 μm/80 μm, 320 μm/80 μm and 480 μm/80 μm are 78 mV/T, 55 mV/T and 34 mV/T, respectively. Under the same conditions, the magnetic sensitivity of the obtained magnetic field sensor is significantly improved in comparison with a Hall magnetic field sensor adopting silicon as the sensing layers. (semiconductor technology)

Alcohol vapor sensing by cadmium-doped zinc oxide thick films based chemical sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zargar, R. A.; Arora, M.; Chackrabarti, S.; Ahmad, S.; Kumar, J.; Hafiz, A. K.

2016-04-01

Cadmium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles were derived by simple chemical co-precipitation route using zinc acetate dihydrate and cadmium acetate dihydrate as precursor materials. The thick films were casted from chemical co-precipitation route prepared nanoparticles by economic facile screen printing method. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the film were characterized relevant to alcohol vapor sensing application by powder XRD, SEM, UV-VIS and DC conductivity techniques. The response and sensitivity of alcohol (ethanol) vapor sensor are obtained from the recovery curves at optimum working temperature range from 20∘C to 50∘C. The result shows that maximum sensitivity of the sensor is observed at 25∘C operating temperature. On varying alcohol vapor concentration, minor variation in resistance has been observed. The sensing mechanism of sensor has been described in terms of physical adsorption and chemical absorption of alcohol vapors on cadmium-doped zinc oxide film surface and inside film lattice network through weak hydrogen bonding, respectively.

The role of film composition and nanostructuration on the polyphenol sensor performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cibely Silva Martin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The recent advances in the supramolecular control in nanostructured films have improved the performance of organic-based devices. However, the effect of different supramolecular arrangement on the sensor or biosensor performance is poorly studied yet. In this paper, we show the role of the composition and nanostructuration of the films on the impedance and voltammetric-based sensor performance to catechol detection. The films here studied were composed by a perylene derivative (PTCD-NH2 and a metallic phthalocyanine (FePc, using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB and physical vapor deposition (PVD techniques. The deposition technique and intrinsic properties of compounds showed influence on electrical and electrocatalytic responses. The PVD PTCD-NH2 shows the best sensor performance to the detection of catechol. Quantification of catechol contents in mate tea samples was also evaluated, and the results showed good agreement compared with Folin-Ciocalteu standard method for polyphenol detection.

Preliminary test of an ultrasonic liquid film sensor for high-temperature steam-water two-phase flow experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoyama, Goro; Nagayoshi, Takuji; Baba, Atsushi

2014-01-01

A prototype liquid film sensor for high-temperature steam-water experiments has been developed. The sensor shape simulates a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel rod. The pulse-echo method can be utilized to measure the thickness of the liquid film covering the sensor surface. A piezoelectric element is soldered onto the inside of the sensor casing which consists of two curved casing pieces. After the piezoelectric element is attached, the two casing pieces are laser welded together. It is confirmed that the temperature rise at the time of the laser welding does not influence soldering of the piezoelectric element. The pressure proof test shows that the sensor can be used at a high-pressure condition of 7 MPa. Simple air-water experiments are done at atmospheric pressure to confirm the liquid film thickness can be measured with the sensor. The fluctuation of the liquid film thickness is satisfactorily captured with the sensor. The minimum and maximum thicknesses are 0.084 and 0.180 mm, respectively. The amplitude of the waveform at 286°C is predicted by the calculation based on the acoustic impedance. It is expected that the sensor is able to measure the liquid film thickness even at BWR operating conditions. (author)

Flexible tension sensor based on poly(l-lactic acid) film with coaxial structure

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Mitsunobu; Onishi, Katsuki; Tanimoto, Kazuhiro; Nishikawa, Shigeo

2017-10-01

We have developed a tension sensor with a coaxial structure using a narrow slit ribbon made of a uniaxially stretched poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) film for application to a wearable device. The tension sensor is produced as follows. We used tinsel wire as the center conductor of the sensor. The tinsel wire consists of a yarn of synthetic fibers arranged at the center, with a spirally wound rolled copper foil ribbon on the side surface. Next, slit ribbons obtained from a uniaxially oriented film of PLLA are wound helically on the side surface of the center conductor in the direction of a left-handed screw, at an angle of 45° to the central axis. The rolled copper foil is used as an outer conductor and covers the yarn without a gap. The prototype of the fabricated tension sensor has good flexibility, since the sensor is in the form of a filament and consists of a highly flexible material. For the 1 mm tension sensor, it was found that for a tension of 1 N, a charge of 14 pC was output. It was also found that the sensor maintained its room-temperature sensitivity up to 60 °C. Compared with an existing coaxial line sensor using poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), the sensor using PLLA does not exhibit pyroelectricity, meaning that no undesirable voltage is generated when in contact with body heat, which is a significant advantage as wearable sensors. The result has demonstrated the potential application of the PLLA film to wearable devices for detecting heartbeat and respiration.

A Humidity Sensor Based on Silver Nanoparticles Thin Film Prepared by Electrostatic Spray Deposition Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thutiyaporn Thiwawong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, thin film of silver nanoparticles for humidity sensor application was deposited by electrostatic spray deposition technique. The influence of the deposition times on properties of films was studied. The crystal structures of sample films, their surface morphology, and optical properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, and UV-VIS spectrophotometer, respectively. The crystalline structure of silver nanoparticles thin film was found in the orientation of (100 and (200 planes of cubic structure at diffraction angles 2θ  =  38.2° and 44.3°, respectively. Moreover, the silver nanoparticles thin films humidity sensor was fabricated onto the interdigitated electrodes. The sensor exhibited the humidity adsorption and desorption properties. The sensing mechanisms of the device were also elucidated by complex impedance analysis.

Hot embossing holographic images in BOPP shrink films through large-area roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Menglin; Lin, Shiwei, E-mail: linsw@hainu.edu.cn; Jiang, Wenkai; Pan, Nengqian

2014-08-30

Highlights: • High-quality holographic images were replicated in large-area shrink film. • Surface morphology evolution was analyzed in films embossed at different temperatures. • Optical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics were systematically analyzed. - Abstract: Diffraction grating-based holographic images have been successfully replicated in biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) shrink films through large-area roll-to-roll nanoimprint technique. Such hot embossing of holographic images on BOPP films represents a promising means of creating novel security features in packaging applications. The major limitation of the high-quality replication is the relatively large thermal shrinkage of BOPP shrink film. However, although an appropriate shrinkage is demanded after embossing, over-shrinking not only causes distortion in embossed images, but also reduces the various properties of BOPP shrink films mainly due to the disappearance of orientation. The effects of embossing temperature on the mechanical, thermal and optical properties as well as polymer surface morphologies were systematically analyzed. The results show that the optimal process parameters are listed as follows: the embossing temperature at 104–110 °C, embossing force 6 kg/cm{sup 2} and film speed 32 m/min. The variation in flow behavior of polymer surface during hot embossing process is highly dependent on the temperature. In addition, the adhesion from the direct contact between the rubber press roller and polymer surfaces is suggested to cause the serious optical properties failure.

Celulas solares e sensores de filme fino de silicio depositados sobre substratos flexiveis =

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Emilio Sergio Marins Vieira

Celulas solares flexiveis de filmes finos de silicio sao geralmente fabricadas a baixa temperatura sobre substratos de plastico ou a mais elevadas temperaturas sobre folhas de aco. Esta tese reporta o estudo da deposicao de filmes finos sobre diferentes substratos de plastico, transparentes e coloridos, para celulas solares do tipo sobrestrato e substrato, respectivamente. Como objetivo co-lateral, os filmes dopados depositados sobre plastico foram usados como sensores de deformacao, utilizando as suas propriedades piezo-resistivas. Elevadas taxas de deposicao dos filmes de silicio depositados sobre plastico foram obtidas a baixa temperatura do substrato (150ºC) por rf-PECVD. A influencia de diferentes parametros de deposicao sobre as propriedades e taxa de deposicao dos filmes resultantes foram estudados e correlacionados. Celulas solares de filmes finos de silicio amorfo e microcristalino foram desenvolvidas a baixas temperaturas sobre plasticos. Eficiencias de 5 - 6.5% foram alcancadas para as celulas amorfas e 7.5% para as celulas microcristalinas. Efeitos de aprisionamento da luz foram estudados atraves da texturizacao por ablacao laser de substratos de plastico e corrosao umida de TCO sobre plastico. Filmes finos de silicio microcristalino, depositados por HW-CVD, com fator piezoresistivo de -32.2, foram usados para fabricar sensores de deformacao em uma membrana plastica muito fina (15 μm). Estruturas de teste em textil e a miniaturizacao dos sensores piezoresistivos depositados sobre substratos flexiveis de poliimida foram abordados.

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kassas, Ahmad, E-mail: a.kassas.mcema@ul.edu.lb [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand [Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Lakiss, Hassan [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Faculty of Engineering, Section III, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Hamieh, Tayssir [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon)

2013-10-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO{sub 3}/LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time.

Molecularly ordered aluminum tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) thin films grown by hot-wall deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tapponnier, A. [Nonlinear Optics Laboratory, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zuerich (ETH), CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland)]. E-mail: axelle@phys.ethz.ch; Khan, R.U.A. [Nonlinear Optics Laboratory, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zuerich (ETH), CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Marcolli, C. [Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zuerich (ETH), CH-8092 Zurich (Switzerland); Guenter, P. [Nonlinear Optics Laboratory, Institute of Quantum Electronics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zuerich (ETH), CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland)

2007-01-22

We report on the growth and microstructural analysis of molecularly ordered thin film layers of aluminum tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq{sub 3}) by hot-wall deposition onto amorphous glass substrates. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ordering on a scale of 100 nm was observed. Raman measurements of these films indicated that they corresponded to the {alpha}-polymorph of crystalline Alq{sub 3}, and photoluminescence measurements exhibited a single broad peak centered at 500 nm, which is also consistent with the {alpha}-form. As a comparison, we deposited films of Alq3 using organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD), which exhibited no molecular ordering from the TEM studies. For these films, strong point-to-point variations in the Raman spectrum, and the existence of a double peak in the photoluminescence at 500 and 522 nm were observed. These measurements indicate that the OMBD films possess a mixture of both {alpha} and amorphous phases.

Electrical characterization of γ-Al2O3 thin film parallel plate capacitive sensor for trace moisture detection

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Lokesh; Kumar, Shailesh; Khan, S. A.; Islam, Tariqul

2012-10-01

A moisture sensor was fabricated based on porous thin film of γ-Al2O3 formed between the parallel gold electrodes. The sensor works on capacitive technique. The sensing film was fabricated by dipcoating of aluminium hydroxide sol solution obtained from the sol-gel method. The porous structure of the film of γ-Al2O3 phase was obtained by sintering the film at 450 °C for 1 h. The electrical parameters of the sensor have been determined by Agilent 4294A impedance analyzer. The sensor so obtained is found to be sensitive in moisture range 100-600 ppmV. The response time of the sensor in ppmV range moisture is very low ~ 24 s and recovery time is ~ 37 s.

Nano Ag-Doped In2O3 Thick Film: A Low-Temperature H2S Gas Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. N. Chavan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Thick films of AR grade In2O3 were prepared by standard screen-printing technique. The gas sensing performances of thick films were tested for various gases. It showed maximum sensitivity to ethanol vapour at 350°C for 80 ppm concentration. To improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the film towards a particular gas, In2O3 sensors were surface-modified by dipping them in a solution of 2% nanosilver for different intervals of time. Obtained results indicated that spherical nano-Ag grains are highly dispersed on the surface of In2O3sensor. The surface area of the nano-Ag/ In2O3 sensor is several times larger than that of pure In2O3 sensor. In comparison with pure In2O3 sensor, all of the nano-Ag-doped sensors showed better sensing performance in respect of response, selectivity, and optimum operating temperature. The surface-modified (30 min In2O3 sensor showed larger sensitivity to H2S gas (10 ppm at 100°C. Nano silver on the surface of the film shifts the reactivity of film from ethanol vapour to H2S gas. A systematic study of gas sensing performance of the sensor indicates the key role played by the nano silver species on the surface. The sensitivity, selectivity, response, and recovery time of the sensor were measured and presented.

Thin-film antifuses for pellistor type gas sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; Holleman, J.; van den Berg, Albert; Wallinga, Hans

2001-01-01

This work extends our previously reported idea of using the nano-scale conductive link (antifuse) as a combined heating /detecting element in a Pellistor-type gas sensor. Our new thin-film antifuse is designed in such a way that the oxide, for minimising the bulk influence on surface temperature,

Kinetic study on hot-wire-assisted atomic layer deposition of nickel thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Guangjie; Shimizu, Hideharu; Momose, Takeshi; Shimogaki, Yukihiro

2014-01-01

High-purity Ni films were deposited using hot-wire-assisted atomic layer deposition (HW-ALD) at deposition temperatures of 175, 250, and 350 °C. Negligible amount of nitrogen or carbon contamination was detected, even though the authors used NH 2 radical as the reducing agent and nickelocene as the precursor. NH 2 radicals were generated by the thermal decomposition of NH 3 with the assist of HW and used to reduce the adsorbed metal growth precursors. To understand and improve the deposition process, the kinetics of HW-ALD were analyzed using a Langmuir-type model. Unlike remote-plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition, HW-ALD does not lead to plasma-induced damage. This is a significant advantage, because the authors can supply sufficient NH 2 radicals to deposit high-purity metallic films by adjusting the distance between the hot wire and the substrate. NH 2 radicals have a short lifetime, and it was important to use a short distance between the radical generation site and substrate. Furthermore, the impurity content of the nickel films was independent of the deposition temperature, which is evidence of the temperature-independent nature of the NH 2 radical flux and the reactivity of the NH 2 radicals

A film bulk acoustic resonator-based high-performance pressure sensor integrated with temperature control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Mengying; Zhao, Zhan; Du, Lidong; Fang, Zhen

2017-01-01

This paper presented a high-performance pressure sensor based on a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). The support film of the FBAR chip was made of silicon nitride and the part under the resonator area was etched to enhance the sensitivity and improve the linearity of the pressure sensor. A micro resistor temperature sensor and a micro resistor heater were integrated in the chip to monitor and control the operating temperature. The sensor chip was fabricated, and packaged in an oscillator circuit for differential pressure detection. When the detected pressure ranged from  −100 hPa to 600 hPa, the sensitivity of the improved FBAR pressure sensor was  −0.967 kHz hPa −1 , namely  −0.69 ppm hPa −1 , which was 19% higher than that of existing sensors with a complete support film. The nonlinearity of the improved sensor was less than  ±0.35%, while that of the existing sensor was  ±5%. To eliminate measurement errors from humidity, the temperature control system integrated in the sensor chip controlled the temperature of the resonator up to 75 °C, with accuracy of  ±0.015 °C and power of 20 mW. (paper)

Application results of a prototype ultrasonic liquid film sensor to a 7 MPa steam-water two-phase flow experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoyama, Goro; Fujimoto, Kiyoshi; Katono, Kenichi; Nagayoshi, Takuji; Baba, Atsushi; Yasuda, Kenichi

2016-01-01

A prototype ultrasonic liquid film sensor was applied to a high-temperature steam-water two-phase flow experiment. The liquid film sensor was vertically installed in a loop which was connected to HUSTLE, a multi-purpose steam source test facility. The hydraulic diameter of the measurement section was 9.4 mm. The output waveforms of the sensor were acquired with a digital oscilloscope. The fluid temperature and system pressure were kept at 288°C and 7.2 MPa, respectively, during the experiment. The pulse-echo method was used to calculate the liquid film thickness. The cross-correlation calculation was utilized to determine the time difference between the pulse reflected at the sensor surface and the pulse reflected at the liquid film surface. The time-averaged liquid film thicknesses were less than 0.055 mm in the annular flow condition. The increase of the time-averaged thickness was small with the change of the gas momentum flux. The film thicknesses measured with the sensor were compared with the past experimental results; the former were smaller than one-fourth of the thickness estimated as the mean film thickness. The comparison results suggested that the continuous liquid sublayer thickness was measured with the liquid film sensor. (author)

Nano-Hydroxyapatite Thick Film Gas Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khairnar, Rajendra S.; Mene, Ravindra U.; Munde, Shivaji G.; Mahabole, Megha P.

2011-01-01

In the present work pure and metal ions (Co and Fe) doped hydroxyapatite (HAp) thick films have been successfully utilized to improve the structural, morphological and gas sensing properties. Nanocrystalline HAp powder is synthesized by wet chemical precipitation route, and ion exchange process is employed for addition of Co and Fe ions in HAp matrix. Moreover, swift heavy ion irradiation (SHI) technique is used to modify the surface of pure and metal ion exchanged HAp with various ion fluence. The structural investigation of pure and metal ion exchanged HAp thick films are carried out using X-ray diffraction and the presence of functional group is observed by means FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, surface morphology is visualized by means of SEM and AFM analysis. CO gas sensing study is carried out for, pure and metal ions doped, HAp thick films with detail investigation on operating temperature, response/recovery time and gas uptake capacity. The surface modifications of sensor matrix by SHI enhance the gas response, response/recovery and gas uptake capacity. The significant observation is here to note that, addition of Co and Fe in HAp matrix and surface modification by SHI improves the sensing properties of HAp films drastically resulting in gas sensing at relatively lower temperatures.

Micromachined Thin-Film Sensors for SOI-CMOS Co-Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Laconte, Jean; Flandre, D.; Raskin, Jean-Pierre

Co-integration of sensors with their associated electronics on a single silicon chip may provide many significant benefits regarding performance, reliability, miniaturization and process simplicity without significantly increasing the total cost. Micromachined Thin-Film Sensors for SOI-CMOS Co-integration covers the challenges and interests and demonstrates the successful co-integration of gas flow sensors on dielectric membrane, with their associated electronics, in CMOS-SOI technology. We firstly investigate the extraction of residual stress in thin layers and in their stacking and the release, in post-processing, of a 1 μm-thick robust and flat dielectric multilayered membrane using Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) silicon micromachining solution.

Optical Waveguide Lightmode Spectroscopy (OWLS as a Sensor for Thin Film and Quantum Dot Corrosion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinke Tang

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS is usually applied as a biosensor system to the sorption-desorption of proteins to waveguide surfaces. Here, we show that OWLS can be used to monitor the quality of oxide thin film materials and of coatings of pulsed laser deposition synthesized CdSe quantum dots (QDs intended for solar energy applications. In addition to changes in data treatment and experimental procedure, oxide- or QD-coated waveguide sensors must be synthesized. We synthesized zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4 coated (Si,TiO2 waveguide sensors, and used OWLS to monitor the relative mass of the film over time. Films lost mass over time, though at different rates due to variation in fluid flow and its physical effect on removal of film material. The Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD technique was used to deposit CdSe QD coatings on waveguides. Sensors exposed to pH 2 solution lost mass over time in an expected, roughly exponential manner. Sensors at pH 10, in contrast, were stable over time. Results were confirmed with atomic force microscopy imaging. Limiting factors in the use of OWLS in this manner include limitations on the annealing temperature that maybe used to synthesize the oxide film, and limitations on the thickness of the film to be studied. Nevertheless, the technique overcomes a number of difficulties in monitoring the quality of thin films in-situ in liquid environments.

Design and Fabrication of Low Cost Thick Film pH Sensor using Silver Chlorinated Reference Electrodes with Integrated Temperature Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wiranto Goib

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the design and fabrication of thick film pH sensor, in which the reference electrode has been formed by chlorination of Ag using FeCl3. The process was aimed to replace Ag/AgCl paste commonly used as reference electrodes. Fabricated using thick film screen printing technology on Al2O3 substrate, the pH sensor showed a measured sensitivity of -52.97, -53.17 and -53.68 mV/pH at 25°C, 45°C, and 65°C, respectively. The measured values were close to the theoretical Nernstian slope of -59 mV/pH 25°C.The sensor was also designed with an integrated Ruthenium based temperature sensor for future temperature compensation. The measured resistance temperature characteristics showed a linear reasponse over the range of 25 – 80°C. This miniaturised planar sensor should find wide application, especially in field water quality monitoring, replacing their glass type counterparts.

A Flexible Flow Sensor System and Its Characteristics for Fluid Mechanics Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruiyi Que

2009-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a novel micromachined hot-film flow sensor system realized by a technique using a film depositing processes and incorporating a standard printed circuit. Sensor electrodes and electronic circuits are preprinted on a flexible substrate of polyimide (PI, i.e., a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB. The sensing element, which is made of Cr/Ni/Pt with a temperature coefficient of resistance around 2,000 ppm/K, is fabricated on the FPCB by either magnetron sputtering technology or pulsed laser deposition (PLD. The sensor can be packed efficiently at high-density and integrated with signal processing circuits without additional pads. A simple fabrication process using mature technique and materials selection guarantees that the time and costs are greatly reduced. Both steady-state and transient characteristics of the sensors are experimentally tested, and the results presented to validate the effectiveness of the sensors.

Desenvolvimento de filmes poliméricos ultrafinos e reticulados para aplicações em sensores

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Eliton Souto de Medeiros

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Resumo Este trabalho propõe um novo método de produção de filmes estáveis para aplicações em sensores baseado na deposição pela técnica de automontagem de poli(o-etoxianilina alternada com fenol-formaldeído (POEA/PF seguida por cura térmica. O processo de reticulação foi caracterizado por espectroscopias no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier e no ultravioleta-visível, microscopia de força atômica e estudos de dessorção; a capacidade sensorial destes filmes foi avaliada através de medidas em sensores. Os resultados mostram que a resina PF serviu como agente de cura e alternante formando uma rede semi-interpenetrante, por conseguinte, filmes mais estáveis foram produzidos. Embora tenha ocorrido uma diminuição da sensibilidade dos sensores com o reticulação, tais filmes são bastante estáveis e podem ser potencialmente usados em sensores, especialmente onde uma maior estabilidade se faz necessária.

Development and characterization of thermal responsivehydrogel films for biomedical sensor application

Science.gov (United States)

López-Barriguete, Jesús Eduardo; Isoshima, Takashi; Bucio, Emilio

2018-04-01

Two flexible stimuli-responsive hydrogel films were elaborated as biomedical sensor application. The hydrogel systems were contained in glass moulds and synthesized using gamma radiation at a dose rate of 10.1 kGy h‑1, and absorbed dose of 50 kGy. The poly(NIPAAm) with a low critical solution temperature (LCST) close to the human body temperature, was employed as the principal component for the responsive materials. The addition of dimethyl acrylamide (DMAAm) for hydrophilic effect, methyl methacrylate (MMA) for mechanical property, and ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EEM) for mechanical property, modified the thermo dynamic transition point, obtaining viable responsive films with LCST of 36 °C and 39 °C. The samples were characterized by DSC to analyse the LCST, FT-IR to characterize the functional groups of the resulting films, AFM to examine the surface morphology, and swelling measurement to support the flexibility. Responsive ‘intelligent’ films with thermo sensitivity, biocompatibility, resistance, and conformableness are important to the development of flexible polymers for the application of biological sensor, smart membranes, or flexible electronics.

Atmospheric corrosion Monitoring with Time-of-Wetness (TOW) sensor and Thin Film Electric Resistance (TFER) sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Sung Won; Kim, Young Geun; Song, Hong Seok; Lee, Seung Min; Kho, Young Tai

2002-01-01

In this study, TOW sensor was fabricated with the same P. J. Serada's in NRC and was evaluated according to pollutant amount and wet/dry cycle. Laboratorily fabricated thin film electric resistance (TFER) probes were applied in same environment for the measurement of corrosion rate for feasibility. TOW sensor could not differentiate the wet and dry time especially at polluted environment like 3.5% NaCl solution. This implies that wet/dry time monitoring by means of TOW sensor need careful application on various environment. TFER sensor could produce instant atmospheric corrosion rate regardless of environment condition. And corrosion rate obtained by TFER sensor could be differentiated according to wet/dry cycle, wet/dry cycle time variation and solution chemistry. Corrosion behaviors of TFER sensor showed that corrosion could proceed even after wet cycle because of remained electrolyte at the surface

Smart chemical sensors using ZnO semiconducting thin films for freshness detection of foods and beverages

Science.gov (United States)

Nanto, Hidehito; Kobayashi, Toshiki; Dougami, Naganori; Habara, Masaaki; Yamamoto, Hajime; Kusano, Eiji; Kinbara, Akira; Douguchi, Yoshiteru

1998-07-01

The sensitivity of the chemical sensor, based on the resistance change of Al2O3-doped and SnO2-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al and ZnO:SnO2) thin film, is studied for exposure to various gases. It is found that the ZnO:Al and ZnO:Sn thin film chemical sensor has a high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for amine (TMA and DMA) gas and ethanol gas, respectively. The ZnO:Al (5.0 wt%) thin film chemical sensor which exhibit a high sensitivity for exposure to odors from rotten sea foods, such as salmon, sea bream, oyster, squid and sardine, responds to the freshness change of these sea foods. The ZnO:SnO2 (78 wt%) thin film chemical sensor which exhibit a high sensitivity for exposure to aroma from alcohols, such as wine, Japanese sake, and whisky, responds to the freshness change of these alcohols.

Thin film sensor materials for detection of Nitro-Aromatic explosives

Science.gov (United States)

Ramdasi, Dipali; Mudhalwadkar, Rohini

2018-03-01

Many countries have experienced terrorist activities and innocent people have suffered. Timely detection of explosives can avoid this situation. This paper targets the detection of Nitrobenzene and Nitrotoluene, which are nitroaromatic compounds possessing explosive properties. As direct sensors for detecting these compounds are not available, Polyaniline based thin film sensors doped with palladium are developed using the spin coating technique. The response of the developed sensors is observed for varying concentrations of explosives. It is observed that zinc oxide based sensor is more sensitive to Nitrotoluene exhibiting a relative change in resistance of 0.78. The tungsten oxide sensor is more sensitive to Nitrobenzene with a relative change in resistance of 0.48. The sensor performance is assessed by measuring the response and recovery time. The cross sensitivity of the sensors is evaluated for ethanol, acetone and methanol which was observed as very low.

Enhancement of ZnO-rGO nanocomposite thin films by gamma radiation for E. coli sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noor Azmy, Noor Azwen [Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, 43650, UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Bakar, Ahmad Ashrif A., E-mail: ashrif@ukm.edu.my [Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, 43650, UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Arsad, Norhana [Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, 43650, UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Idris, Sarada [Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, 43650, UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Radiation Facilities Division, Block 42, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Mohmad, Abdul Rahman [MEMS-NEMS and Nanoelectronics, Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), 43650 UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Abdul Hamid, Aidil [School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, 43650 UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • ZnO-rGO nanocomposite thin films by gamma radiation for E. coli sensor were fabricated for the first time. • Exposed to gamma radiation leads to the change the microstructure of the films. • The optical behaviors of thin films were found to be gamma dose dependent. • The sensors had a linear response with GO concentration. • The sensors exhibited enhanced sensitivity at higher gamma radiation. - Abstract: The fabricated E. coli sensor of ZnO-rGO nanocomposite thin films by gamma radiation was investigated. Nanocomposite films were prepared via sol–gel method and were irradiated at 10 kGy at room temperature. The surface characteristic of as-prepared samples have been characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The proposed structure shows that exposed gamma radiation may change the microstructure of the films occurs as a result of their flexible structure. Uv–vis spectra of nanocomposite were studied to investigate the optical behavior of ZnO-rGO films and the optical energy band gap and Urbach energy were found to be gamma dose dependent. The sensing properties were identified by measuring the changes of conductivity of film using I-V measurement. Upon exposure to E. coli, the radiated ZnO-rGO films (1.00 vol% GO) exhibited higher sensitivity, as much as 4.62 × 10{sup −3}, than un-radiated films, 1.04 × 10{sup −3}. This enhancement of the I-V response was attributed to a positive influence of the gamma radiation in these films. The results prove that our ZnO-rGO nanocomposites thin films by gamma radiation demonstrate a strong performance for the detection of microbiological organisms in water.

Thin film heat flux sensors for accurate transient and unidirectional heat transfer analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azerou, B; Garnier, B; Lahmar, J

2012-01-01

Heat flux measurement is needed in many heat transfer studies. For the best unbiased heat flux sensors (HFS), the heat flux is obtained using temperature measurements at different locations and also an inverse heat conduction method (function specification...) in order to calculate the heat flux. Systematic errors can come from the uncertainty in the wire thermocouples locations and from errors in the knowledge of distances between two consecutive wire thermocouples. The main idea in this work is to use thin film thermoresistances deposited on a flexible thin polymer substrate instead of wire thermocouples welded on metallic sample. The interest of using thin film thermoresistances instead of wire thermocouples is a lower disturbance due to the smaller thickness of the thin film sensors (typically less than 1μm) and a much better knowledge of the distances between the different thin film thermoresistances which are precisely defined in the mask used for the metallic thin film pattern fabrication. In this paper, we present the fabrication of the new heat flux sensor with thin film thermoresistances, the study of the effect of the self heating (due to Joule effect in thermoresistances) and the performances of this new HFS with the comparison with classical HFS using wire thermocouples. For this study, a symmetric experimental setup is used with metallic samples equipped with an etched foil heater and both classical and new HFS. For several heating conditions, it appears that a better accuracy is always obtained with the new HFS using thin film thermoresistances.

Performance of RVGui sensor and Kodak Ektaspeed Plus film for proximal caries detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, M; Mol, A; Ludlow, J B

2001-03-01

A high-resolution charge-coupled device was used to compare the diagnostic performances obtained with Trophy's new RVGui sensor and Kodak Ektaspeed Plus film with respect to caries detection. Three acquisition modes of the Trophy RVGui sensor were compared with Kodak Ektaspeed Plus film. Images of the proximal surfaces of 40 extracted posterior teeth were evaluated by 6 observers. The presence or absence of caries was scored by means of a 5-point confidence scale. The actual caries status of each surface was determined through ground-section histology. Responses were evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (A(Z)) were assessed through analysis of variance. The mean A(Z) scores were 0.85 for film, 0.84 for the high-resolution caries mode, and 0.82 for both the low resolution caries mode and the high-resolution periodontal mode. These differences were not statistically significant (P =.70). The differences among observers also were not statistically significant (P =.23). The performance of the RVGui sensor in high- and low-resolution modes for proximal caries detection is comparable to that of Ektaspeed Plus film.

Cataluminescence sensor for gaseous acetic acid using a thin film of In2O3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Y.; Cao, X.; Peng, Y.; Liu, Y.; Zhang, R.

2012-01-01

We report on a cataluminescence sensor for the determination of gaseous acetic acid. It is based on a 60-nm thick sol-gel film of In 2 O 3 on a ceramic support. SEM, XPS and surface profiling were applied for its characterization. It is found that aluminum ions of the ceramic substrate penetrate into the film and produce a synergetic catalytic effect. The sensor displays high sensitivity and specificity for acetic acid, a low detection limit, a wide linear range and a fast response. No (or only very low) interference was observed by formic acid, ammonia, acrolein, benzene, formaldehyde, ethanol, and acetaldehyde. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of acetic acid in spiked air samples. We also discuss a conceivable mechanism (based on the reaction products) for the cataluminescence resulting from the oxidation reaction on the surface of the sensor film. (author)

Thin film devices used as oxygen partial pressure sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Canady, K. S.; Wortman, J. J.

1970-01-01

Electrical conductivity of zinc oxide films to be used in an oxygen partial pressure sensor is measured as a function of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and other atmospheric constituents. Time response following partial pressure changes is studied as a function of temperature and environmental changes.

An Electrochemical pH Sensor Based on the Amino-Functionalized Graphene and Polyaniline Composite Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, W; Xu, J; Ding, Xianting

2016-12-01

Conventional glass-based pH sensors are usually fragile and space consuming. Herein, a miniature electrochemical pH sensor based on amino-functionalized graphene fragments and polyaniline (NH 2 -G/PANI) composite film is developed via simply one-pot electrochemical polymerization on the ITO-coated glass substrates. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman Spectra are involved to confirm the successful synthesis and to characterize the properties of the NH 2 -G/PANI composite film. The developed electrochemical pH sensor presents fast response, high sensitivity (51.1 mV/pH) and wide detection range when applied to PBS solutions of pH values from 1 to 11. The robust reproducibility and good stability of the developed pH sensors are investigated as well. Compared to the conventional glass-based pH meters, the NH 2 -G/PANI composite film-based pH sensor could be a promising contender for the flexible and miniaturized pH-sensing devices.

Inverse bilayer magnetoelectric thin film sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarar, E.; Piorra, A.; Quandt, E., E-mail: eq@tf.uni-kiel.de [Chair for Inorganic Functional Materials, Institute for Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstraße 2, D-24143 Kiel (Germany); Salzer, S.; Höft, M.; Knöchel, R. [Microwave Laboratory, Institute of Electrical and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstraße 2, D-24143 Kiel (Germany); Hrkac, V.; Kienle, L. [Chair for Synthesis and Real Structure, Institute for Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstraße 2, D-24143 Kiel (Germany)

2016-07-11

Prior investigations on magnetoelectric (ME) thin film sensors using amorphous FeCoSiB as a magnetostrictive layer and AlN as a piezoelectric layer revealed a limit of detection (LOD) in the range of a few pT/Hz{sup 1/2} in the mechanical resonance. These sensors are comprised of a Si/SiO{sub 2}/Pt/AlN/FeCoSiB layer stack, as dictated by the temperatures required for the deposition of the layers. A low temperature deposition route of very high quality AlN allows the reversal of the deposition sequence, thus allowing the amorphous FeCoSiB to be deposited on the very smooth Si substrate. As a consequence, the LOD could be enhanced by almost an order of magnitude reaching 400 fT/Hz{sup 1/2} at the mechanical resonance of the sensor. Giant ME coefficients (α{sub ME}) as high as 5 kV/cm Oe were measured. Transmission electron microscopy investigations revealed highly c-axis oriented growth of the AlN starting from the Pt-AlN interface with local epitaxy.

Influence of Methacrylic-Acrylic Copolymer Composition on Plasticiser-free Optode Films for pH Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musa Ahmad

2003-03-01

Full Text Available In this work we have examined the use of plasticiser-free polymeric films incorporating a proton selective chromoionophore for optical pH sensor. Four types of methacrylic-acrylic copolymers containing different compositions of n-butyl acrylate (nBA and methyl methacrylate (MMA were synthesised for use as optical sensor films. The copolymers were mixed with appropriate amounts of chromoionophore (ETH5294 and a lipophilic salt before spin coated on glass slides to form films for the evaluation of pH response using spectrophotometry. Co-polymer films with high nBA content gave good response and the response time depended on the film thickness. A preliminary evaluation of the optical films of high nBA content with pHs from 2 - 14 showed distinguishable responses from pH 5 - 9. However, the adhesion of the pH sensitive film was good for copolymers with higher content of MMA but not for films with high nBA.

Biomedical sensor for transcutaneous oxygen measurements using thick film technology

OpenAIRE

Lam, Yu-Zhi (Liza)

2003-01-01

The measurement of the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood is essential for the analysis of a patient's respiratory condition. There are several commercially available methods and systems to measure this parameter transcutaneously. However, they tend to be cumbersome and costly. To overcome the disadvantages presented, a new type of sensor for transcutaneous blood gas measurement was investigated, employing thick film technology, which is an excellent technique to produce sensors in ...

Micromachined force sensors using thin film nickel–chromium piezoresistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nadvi, Gaviraj S; Butler, Donald P; Çelik-Butler, Zeynep; Gönenli, İsmail Erkin

2012-01-01

Micromachined force/tactile sensors using nickel–chromium piezoresistors have been investigated experimentally and through finite-element analysis. The force sensors were designed with a suspended aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) membrane and optimally placed piezoresistors to measure the strain in the membrane when deflected with an applied force. Different devices, each with varying size and shape of both the membrane and the piezoresistors, were designed, fabricated and characterized. The piezoresistors were placed into a half-Wheatstone bridge configuration with two active and two passive nickel–chromium resistors to provide temperature drift compensation. The force sensors were characterized using a load cell and a nanopositioner to measure the sensor response with applied load. Piezoresistive gauge factors in the range of 1–5.2 have been calculated for the thin film nichrome (NiCr 80/20 wt%) from the measured results. The force sensors were calculated to have a noise equivalent force of 65–245 nN. (paper)

Finite Element Analysis of Film Stack Architecture for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Image Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kuo-Tsai; Hwang, Sheng-Jye; Lee, Huei-Huang

2017-05-02

Image sensors are the core components of computer, communication, and consumer electronic products. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors have become the mainstay of image-sensing developments, but are prone to leakage current. In this study, we simulate the CMOS image sensor (CIS) film stacking process by finite element analysis. To elucidate the relationship between the leakage current and stack architecture, we compare the simulated and measured leakage currents in the elements. Based on the analysis results, we further improve the performance by optimizing the architecture of the film stacks or changing the thin-film material. The material parameters are then corrected to improve the accuracy of the simulation results. The simulated and experimental results confirm a positive correlation between measured leakage current and stress. This trend is attributed to the structural defects induced by high stress, which generate leakage. Using this relationship, we can change the structure of the thin-film stack to reduce the leakage current and thereby improve the component life and reliability of the CIS components.

Skin-friction measurements with hot-wire gages

Science.gov (United States)

Houdeville, R.; Juillen, J. C.; Cousteix, J.

1983-11-01

The development of two hot-wire gauges for implantation in wind-tunnel models and their application to the measurement of skin-friction phenomena are reported. The measurement principle is explained; the design and calibration of a single-wire gage containing a thermocouple for temperature determination (Cousteix and Juillen, 1982-1983) are summarized; and sample results for 2D and 3D flows with positive pressure gradients are shown. An advanced design employing a thin hot film deposited on an 80-micron-diameter quartz fiber extending into a 1-mm-sq 0.8-mm-deep cavity is characterized and demonstrated on a pulsed flow on a flat plate, Tollmien-Schlichting waves, and a turbulent boundary layer. Two cold-wire temperature sensors are added to this gage to permit detection of the skin of the skin friction in the separated flow over a cylinder.

Electro-acoustic sensors based on AlN thin film: possibilities and limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Wingqvist, Gunilla

2011-06-01

The non-ferroelectric polar wurtzite aluminium nitride (AlN) material has been shown to have potential for various sensor applications both utilizing the piezoelectric effect directly for pressure sensors or indirectly for acoustic sensing of various physical, chemical and biochemical sensor applications. Especially, sputter deposited AlN thin films have played a central role for successful development of the thin film electro-acoustic technology. The development has been primarily driven by one device - the thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR or TFBAR), with its primary use for high frequency filter applications for the telecom industry. AlN has been the dominating choice for commercial application due to compatibility with the integrated circuit technology, low acoustic and dielectric losses, high acoustic velocity in combination with comparably high (but still for some applications limited) electromechanical coupling. Recently, increased piezoelectric properties (and also electromechanical coupling) in the AlN through the alloying with scandium nitride (ScN) have been identified both experimentally and theoretically. Inhere, the utilization of piezoelectricity in electro-acoustic sensing will be discussed together with expectation on acoustic FBAR sensor performance with variation in piezoelectric material properties in the parameter space around AlN due to alloying, in view of the ScxAl1-xN (0

A Robust Fiber Bragg Grating Hydrogen Gas Sensor Using Platinum-Supported Silica Catalyst Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Kurohiji

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A robust fiber Bragg grating (FBG hydrogen gas sensor for reliable multipoint-leakage monitoring has been developed. The sensing mechanism is based on shifts of center wavelength of the reflection spectra due to temperature change caused by catalytic combustion heat. The sensitive film which consists of platinum-supported silica (Pt/SiO2 catalyst film was obtained using sol-gel method. The precursor solution was composed of hexachloroplatinic acid and commercially available silica precursor solution. The atom ratio of Si : Pt was fixed at 13 : 1. A small amount of this solution was dropped on the substrate and dried at room temperature. After that, the film was calcined at 500°C in air. These procedures were repeated and therefore thick hydrogen-sensitive films were obtained. The catalytic film obtained by 20-time coating on quartz glass substrate showed a temperature change 75 K upon exposure to 3 vol.% H2. For realizing robust sensor device, this catalytic film was deposited and FBG portion was directly fixed on titanium substrate. The sensor device showed good performances enough to detect hydrogen gas in the concentration range below lower explosion limit at room temperature. The enhancement of the sensitivity was attributed to not only catalytic combustion heat but also related thermal strain.

A volatile-solvent gas fiber sensor based on polyaniline film coated on superstructure fiber Bragg gratings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ai, L; Chen, T C; Su, W K; Mau, J C; Liu, W F

2008-01-01

A fiber sensor based on a polyaniline (PANI) film that is coated on the surface of an etched superstructure fiber grating to detect volatile solvent vapors is experimentally demonstrated. This sensing mechanism is based on the interaction of the testing gas with the polyaniline coating film, which changes the film index, resulting in a shift in the Bragg wavelength. The sensitivity of this sensor to ammonia (NH 3 ) gas is about 0.073 pm ppm −1 , which depends on the optical characteristics of the fiber grating, the diameter of the fiber cladding and the constituents of the sensing film. Methanol concentrations can also be measured using this sensing scheme. The sensitivity of this sensor must be improved to provide a simple, reliable, repeatable and non-destructive method for sensing various chemical gases. (technical design note)

PPY-PVA Blend Thin Films as a Ammines Gas Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. B. DUPARE

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Synthesis of polypyrrole–polyvinyl alcohol blend thin by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization, on glass substrate for development of Ammonia and Trimethyl ammine hazardous gas sensor. The all experimental process carried out at room temperature (304 k. These polymer materials were characterized by Chemical analyses, spectral studies (UV-visible and IR and conductivity measurement by four –probe technique. The surface morphology as seen in the SEM image was observed to be granular, tubular, uniformly covering the entire substrate surface having porous in nature. The current–voltage characterization show that these thin films have conducting in nature having ohmic behaviors. The sensor was used for different concentration (ppm of TMA and Ammonia gas investigation at room temperature (304 k. This study found to possess improved electrical, mechanical and environmental stability PPY-PVA films.

Thermal analysis of continuous and patterned multilayer films in the presence of a nanoscale hot spot

Science.gov (United States)

Juang, Jia-Yang; Zheng, Jinglin

2016-10-01

Thermal responses of multilayer films play essential roles in state-of-the-art electronic systems, such as photo/micro-electronic devices, data storage systems, and silicon-on-insulator transistors. In this paper, we focus on the thermal aspects of multilayer films in the presence of a nanoscale hot spot induced by near field laser heating. The problem is set up in the scenario of heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), the next-generation technology to overcome the data storage density limit imposed by superparamagnetism. We characterized thermal responses of both continuous and patterned multilayer media films using transient thermal modeling. We observed that material configurations, in particular, the thermal barriers at the material layer interfaces crucially impact the temperature field hence play a key role in determining the hot spot geometry, transient response and power consumption. With a representative generic media model, we further explored the possibility of optimizing thermal performances by designing layers of heat sink and thermal barrier. The modeling approach demonstrates an effective way to characterize thermal behaviors of micro and nano-scale electronic devices with multilayer thin film structures. The insights into the thermal transport scheme will be critical for design and operations of such electronic devices.

Remote query measurement of pressure, fluid-flow velocity, and humidity using magnetoelastic thick-film sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Grimes, C. A.; Kouzoudis, D.

2000-01-01

Free-standing magnetoelastic thick-film sensors have a characteristic resonant frequency that can be determined by monitoring the magnetic flux emitted from the sensor in response to a time varying magnetic field. This property allows the sensors to be monitored remotely without the use of direct physical connections, such as wires, enabling measurement of environmental parameters from within sealed, opaque containers. In this work, we report on application of magnetoelastic sensors to measurement of atmospheric pressure, fluid-flow velocity, temperature, and mass load. Mass loading effects are demonstrated by fabrication of a remote query humidity sensor, made by coating the magnetoelastic thick film with a thin layer of solgel deposited Al2O3 that reversibly changes mass in response to humidity. c2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Metal Oxides Doped PPY-PVA Blend Thin Films Based Gas Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. B. DUPARE

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Synthesis of metal oxides doped polypyrrole–polyvinyl alcohol blend thin films by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization, using microwave oven on glass substrate for development of Ammonia and Trimethyl ammine hazardous gas sensor. The all experimental process carried out at room temperature(304 K. These polymer materials were characterized by Chemical analyses, spectral studies (UV-visible and IR and conductivity measurement by four –probe technique. The surface morphology as observed in the SEM image was observed to be uniformly covering the entire substrate surface. The sensor was used for different concentration (ppm of TMA and Ammonia gas investigation at room temperature (304 k. This study found to possess improved electrical, mechanical and environmental stability metal oxides doped PPY-PVA films.

Studies on Gas Sensing Performance of Cr-doped Indium Oxide Thick Film Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. N. Chavan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available A series of In1-xCrxO3 composites, with x ranging from 0.01 to 0.5wt% were prepared by mechanochemically starting from InCl3 and CrO3. Structural and micro structural characteristics of the sample were investigated by XRD, SEM with EDAX. Thick films of pure Indium Oxide and composites were prepared by standard screen printing technique. The gas sensitivity of these thick films was tested for various gases. The pure Indium Oxide thick film (x=0 shows maximum sensitivity to ethanol vapour (80 ppm at 350 oC, but composite-A (x=0.01 thick film shows maximum sensitivity to H2S gas (40 ppm at 250 oC, composite-B (x=0.1 thick film shows higher sensitivity to NH3 gas (80 ppm at 250 oC and composite-C (x=0.5 thick film shows maximum sensitivity to Cl2 gas (80 ppm at 350 oC. A systematic study of gas sensing performance of the sensors indicates the key role played by concentration variation of Cr doped species. The sensitivity, selectivity and recovery time of the sensor were measured and presented.

The Use of a Pressure-Indicating Sensor Film to Provide Feedback upon Hydrogel-Forming Microneedle Array Self-Application In Vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Vicente-Pérez, Eva M; Quinn, Helen L; McAlister, Emma; O'Neill, Shannon; Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Barry, Johanne G; Donnelly, Ryan F

2016-12-01

To evaluate the combination of a pressure-indicating sensor film with hydrogel-forming microneedle arrays, as a method of feedback to confirm MN insertion in vivo. Pilot in vitro insertion studies were conducted using a Texture Analyser to insert MN arrays, coupled with a pressure-indicating sensor film, at varying forces into excised neonatal porcine skin. In vivo studies involved twenty human volunteers, who self-applied two hydrogel-forming MN arrays, one with a pressure-indicating sensor film incorporated and one without. Optical coherence tomography was employed to measure the resulting penetration depth and colorimetric analysis to investigate the associated colour change of the pressure-indicating sensor film. Microneedle insertion was achieved in vitro at three different forces, demonstrating the colour change of the pressure-indicating sensor film upon application of increasing pressure. When self-applied in vivo, there was no significant difference in the microneedle penetration depth resulting from each type of array, with a mean depth of 237 μm recorded. When the pressure-indicating sensor film was present, a colour change occurred upon each application, providing evidence of insertion. For the first time, this study shows how the incorporation of a simple, low-cost pressure-indicating sensor film can indicate microneedle insertion in vitro and in vivo, providing visual feedback to assure the user of correct application. Such a strategy may enhance usability of a microneedle device and, hence, assist in the future translation of the technology to widespread clinical use.

Stretchable Electronic Sensors of Nanocomposite Network Films for Ultrasensitive Chemical Vapor Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hong; Zhong, Mengjuan; Lv, Ze; Wan, Pengbo

2017-11-01

A stretchable, transparent, and body-attachable chemical sensor is assembled from the stretchable nanocomposite network film for ultrasensitive chemical vapor sensing. The stretchable nanocomposite network film is fabricated by in situ preparation of polyaniline/MoS 2 (PANI/MoS 2 ) nanocomposite in MoS 2 suspension and simultaneously nanocomposite deposition onto prestrain elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The assembled stretchable electronic sensor demonstrates ultrasensitive sensing performance as low as 50 ppb, robust sensing stability, and reliable stretchability for high-performance chemical vapor sensing. The ultrasensitive sensing performance of the stretchable electronic sensors could be ascribed to the synergistic sensing advantages of MoS 2 and PANI, higher specific surface area, the reliable sensing channels of interconnected network, and the effectively exposed sensing materials. It is expected to hold great promise for assembling various flexible stretchable chemical vapor sensors with ultrasensitive sensing performance, superior sensing stability, reliable stretchability, and robust portability to be potentially integrated into wearable electronics for real-time monitoring of environment safety and human healthcare. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An Ultrasensitive Organic Semiconductor NO2 Sensor Based on Crystalline TIPS-Pentacene Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zi; Huang, Lizhen; Zhu, Xiaofei; Zhou, Xu; Chi, Lifeng

2017-10-01

Organic semiconductor gas sensor is one of the promising candidates of room temperature operated gas sensors with high selectivity. However, for a long time the performance of organic semiconductor sensors, especially for the detection of oxidizing gases, is far behind that of the traditional metal oxide gas sensors. Although intensive attempts have been made to address the problem, the performance and the understanding of the sensing mechanism are still far from sufficient. Herein, an ultrasensitive organic semiconductor NO 2 sensor based on 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-pentacene (TIPS-petacene) is reported. The device achieves a sensitivity over 1000%/ppm and fast response/recovery, together with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 20 ppb, all of which reach the level of metal oxide sensors. After a comprehensive analysis on the morphology and electrical properties of the organic films, it is revealed that the ultrahigh performance is largely related to the film charge transport ability, which was less concerned in the studies previously. And the combination of efficient charge transport and low original charge carrier concentration is demonstrated to be an effective access to obtain high performance organic semiconductor gas sensors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation and characterization of indium tin oxide thin films for their application as gas sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaishnav, V.S.; Patel, P.D.; Patel, N.G.

2005-01-01

The structural and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (In 2 O 3 /SnO 2 ) thin films grown using direct evaporation technique on various substrates at different temperatures were studied. The effect of annealing, of films with different weight percent concentration of SnO 2 in In 2 O 3 and of different thickness on the structural and electrical properties were studied and optimized for use as gas sensor. The stability of the films against time and temperature variations was studied. The effect of the catalytic layers on the sensor microstructure and its performance towards the gas sensing application was observed

Indium Tin Oxide thin film gas sensors for detection of ethanol vapours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaishnav, V.S.; Patel, P.D.; Patel, N.G.

2005-01-01

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO: In 2 O 3 + 17% SnO 2 ) thin films grown on alumina substrate at 648 K temperatures using direct evaporation method with two gold pads deposited on the top for electrical contacts were exposed to ethanol vapours (200-2500 ppm). The operating temperature of the sensor was optimized. The sensitivity variation of films having different thickness was studied. The sensitivity of the films deposited on Si substrates was studied. The response of the film with MgO catalytic layer on sensitivity and selectivity was observed. A novel approach of depositing thin stimulating layer of various metals/oxides below the ITO film was tried and tested

Design and simulation analysis of a novel pressure sensor based on graphene film

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, M.; Xia, Y. H.; Guo, A. Q.

2018-02-01

A novel pressure sensor structure based on graphene film as the sensitive membrane was proposed in this paper, which solved the problem to measure low and minor pressure with high sensitivity. Moreover, the fabrication process was designed which can be compatible with CMOS IC fabrication technology. Finite element analysis has been used to simulate the displacement distribution of the thin movable graphene film of the designed pressure sensor under the different pressures with different dimensions. From the simulation results, the optimized structure has been obtained which can be applied in the low measurement range from 10hPa to 60hPa. The length and thickness of the graphene film could be designed as 100μm and 0.2μm, respectively. The maximum mechanical stress on the edge of the sensitive membrane was 1.84kPa, which was far below the breaking strength of the silicon nitride and graphene film.

A Humidity Sensor Based on Nb-doped Nanoporous TiO2 Thin Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansoor Anbia

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The humidity sensing properties of the sensor fabricated from Nb-doped nanoporous TiO2 by screen-printing on the alumina substrate with Ag-Pd interdigital electrodes have been investigated. The nanoporous thin film has been prepared by sol-gel technique. The product has been characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to analyze the structure and its morphology. It is found that the impedance of this sensor changes more than four orders of magnitude in the relative humidity (RH range of 11–95 % at 25 °C. The response and recovery time of the sensor are about 19 and 25 s, respectively, during the RH variation from 11 to 95 %. The sensor shows high humidity sensitivity, rapid response and recovery, prominent stability, good repeatability and narrow hysteresis loop. These results indicate that Nb-doped nanoporous TiO2 thin films have a great potential for humidity sensing applications in room temperature operations.

High-Resolution Spin-on-Patterning of Perovskite Thin Films for a Multiplexed Image Sensor Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Woongchan; Lee, Jongha; Yun, Huiwon; Kim, Joonsoo; Park, Jinhong; Choi, Changsoon; Kim, Dong Chan; Seo, Hyunseon; Lee, Hakyong; Yu, Ji Woong; Lee, Won Bo; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2017-10-01

Inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite thin films have attracted significant attention as an alternative to silicon in photon-absorbing devices mainly because of their superb optoelectronic properties. However, high-definition patterning of perovskite thin films, which is important for fabrication of the image sensor array, is hardly accomplished owing to their extreme instability in general photolithographic solvents. Here, a novel patterning process for perovskite thin films is described: the high-resolution spin-on-patterning (SoP) process. This fast and facile process is compatible with a variety of spin-coated perovskite materials and perovskite deposition techniques. The SoP process is successfully applied to develop a high-performance, ultrathin, and deformable perovskite-on-silicon multiplexed image sensor array, paving the road toward next-generation image sensor arrays. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A new sensor for ammonia based on cyanidin-sensitized titanium dioxide film operating at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao-wei, Huang [School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, 212013 Zhenjiang, Jiangsu (China); Xiao-bo, Zou, E-mail: zou_xiaobo@ujs.edu.cn [School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, 212013 Zhenjiang, Jiangsu (China); Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology, 301 Xuefu Road, 212013 Zhenjiang, Jiangsu (China); Ji-yong, Shi; Jie-wen, Zhao; Yanxiao, Li [School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, 212013 Zhenjiang, Jiangsu (China); Limin, Hao; Jianchun, Zhang [The Research Center of China Hemp Materials, Beijing (China)

2013-07-17

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •TiO{sub 2} was prepared by sol–gel method film and then functionalized with the cyanidin dye. •The morphology and the absorption spectra of films were examined. •The hybrid organic–inorganic formed film here can detect ammonia reversibly at room temperature. •The low humidity could promote the sensitivity of the sensors. -- Abstract: Design and fabrication of an ammonia sensor operating at room temperature based on pigment-sensitized TiO{sub 2} films was described. TiO{sub 2} was prepared by sol–gel method and deposited on glass slides containing gold electrodes. Then, the film immersed in a 2.5 × 10{sup −4} M ethanol solution of cyanidin to absorb the pigment. The hybrid organic–inorganic formed film here can detect ammonia reversibly at room temperature. The relative change resistance of the films at a potential difference of 1.5 V is determined when the films are exposed to atmospheres containing ammonia vapors with concentrations over the range 10–50 ppm. The relative change resistance, S, of the films increased almost linearly with increasing concentrations of ammonia (r = 0.92). The response time to increasing concentrations of the ammonia is about 180–220 s, and the corresponding values for decreasing concentrations 240–270 s. At low humidity, ammonia could be ionized by the cyanidin on the TiO{sub 2} film and thereby decrease in the proton concentration at the surface. Consequently, more positively charged holes at the surface of the TiO{sub 2} have to be extracted to neutralize the adsorbed cyanidin and water film. The resistance response to ammonia of the sensors was nearly independent on temperature from 10 to 50 °C. These results are not actually as good as those reported in the literature, but this preliminary work proposes simpler and cheaper processes to realize NH{sub 3} sensor for room temperature applications.

Swift heavy ion irradiated SnO_2 thin film sensor for efficient detection of SO_2 gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, Punit; Sharma, Savita; Tomar, Monika; Singh, Fouran; Gupta, Vinay

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Response of Ni"7"+ ion irradiated (100 MeV) SnO_2 film have been performed. • Effect of irradiation on the structural and optical properties of SnO_2 film is studied. • A decrease in operating temperature and increased response is seen after irradiation. - Abstract: Gas sensing response studies of the Ni"7"+ ion irradiated (100 MeV) and non-irradiated SnO_2 thin film sensor prepared under same conditions have been performed towards SO_2 gas (500 ppm). The effect of irradiation on the structural, surface morphological, optical and gas sensing properties of SnO_2 thin film based sensor have been studied. A significant decrease in operating temperature (from 220 °C to 60 °C) and increased sensing response (from 1.3 to 5.0) is observed for the sample after irradiation. The enhanced sensing response obtained for the irradiated SnO_2 thin film based sensor is attributed to the desired modification in the surface morphology and material properties of SnO_2 thin film by Ni"7"+ ions.

Development of a novel gas sensor based on oxide thick films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arshak, K.; Gaidan, I.

2005-01-01

Zinc and iron oxide thick film gas sensors were fabricated using screen-printing technology on glass substrates that had silver interdigitated electrodes. The sensor was used to detect methanol, ethanol and propanol with a concentration range of 0-8000 ppm. Using the formula to calculate a change in resistance, ΔR = R gas - R air, resistance was seen to increase linearly alongside increasing concentrations of the gas vapours. The sensor showed the highest sensitivity to propanol followed by ethanol and methanol when the operating temperature was 25 deg. C. The sensitivities (slope of graphs) of methanol, ethanol and propanol changed from 0.07, 0.5, and 3.54 to 0.075, 0.115, and 0.5 Ω/ppm when the operating temperature was increased from 25 to 50 deg. C. The response/recovery times of the sensor for 4000 ppm at room temperature were, 10/10, 15/20 and 40/70 s for methanol, ethanol and propanol, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to examine the final composition of the film, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the final composition of grain size. The final composition has two phases: ZnO and ZnFe 2 O 4

Sensors of the gas CO in thin film of SnO{sub 2}:Cu; Sensores del gas CO en pelicula delgada de SnO{sub 2}:Cu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tirado G, S.; Sanchez Z, F. E., E-mail: tirado@esfm.ipn.mx [IPN, Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas, Unidad Profesional Adolfo Lopez Mateos, San Pedro Zacatenco, 07738 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

2011-10-15

Thin films of SnO{sub 2}:Cu with different thickness, were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates and prepared by the Sol-gel process and repeated immersion. The sensor properties of these films to the gas CO for the range of 0-200 ppm in the gas concentration and operating to temperatures of 23, 100, 200, and 300 C were studied. Prepared films of pure SnO{sub 2} were modified superficially with 1, 3, 5 and 10 layers of the catalyst Cu (SnO{sub 2}:Cu) with the purpose of studying the effect on the sensor capacity of the gas CO by part of the films SnO{sub 2}:Cu. Using the changes in the electric properties of the films with the incorporation of the different copper layers and experimental conditions, the sensor modifications of the gas CO were evaluated. To complete this study, was realized a characterization of the superficial morphology of the films by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, equally was studied their structure and their electric and optical properties. (Author)

Novel ammonia sensor based on polyaniline/polylactic acid composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotirov, S; Bodurov, I; Marudova, M

2017-01-01

We propose a new type of ammonia sensor based on composite film between polyaniline (emeraldine base) dissolved in dimethylformamide, and poly(DL-lactic) acid dissolved in chloroform. The two solutions were mixed in weight ratio of the components 1:1 and cast on Al 2 O 3 substrate, on which silver electrodes were deposited previously. The active layer structure and morphology were examined by atomic force microscopy. The sensor resistance at constant humidity and different ammonia concentrations was measured. It was found that an increase in the ammonia concentration leads to resistance increase. This result is explained in the terms of ionic interactions between the polyaniline and the ammonia, which change the permittivity of the sensor active media. A response between 2% and 590% was shown depending on the ammonia concentration. The sensor is reversible and possesses response time of typically 100 s. Based on the changes of the sensor resistance, ammonia concentration from 10 ppm to 1000 ppm could be detected. (paper)

Novel ammonia sensor based on polyaniline/polylactic acid composite films

Science.gov (United States)

Sotirov, S.; Bodurov, I.; Marudova, M.

2017-01-01

We propose a new type of ammonia sensor based on composite film between polyaniline (emeraldine base) dissolved in dimethylformamide, and poly(DL-lactic) acid dissolved in chloroform. The two solutions were mixed in weight ratio of the components 1:1 and cast on Al2O3 substrate, on which silver electrodes were deposited previously. The active layer structure and morphology were examined by atomic force microscopy. The sensor resistance at constant humidity and different ammonia concentrations was measured. It was found that an increase in the ammonia concentration leads to resistance increase. This result is explained in the terms of ionic interactions between the polyaniline and the ammonia, which change the permittivity of the sensor active media. A response between 2% and 590% was shown depending on the ammonia concentration. The sensor is reversible and possesses response time of typically 100 s. Based on the changes of the sensor resistance, ammonia concentration from 10 ppm to 1000 ppm could be detected.

S Sensors: Fumarate-Based fcu-MOF Thin Film Grown on a Capacitive Interdigitated Electrode

KAUST Repository

Yassine, Omar

2016-10-31

Herein we report the fabrication of an advanced sensor for the detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at room temperature, using thin films of rare-earth metal (RE)-based metal-organic framework (MOF) with underlying fcu topology. This unique MOF-based sensor is made via the insitu growth of fumarate-based fcu-MOF (fum-fcu-MOF) thin film on a capacitive interdigitated electrode. The sensor showed a remarkable detection sensitivity for H2S at concentrations down to 100ppb, with the lower detection limit around 5ppb. The fum-fcu-MOF sensor exhibits a highly desirable detection selectivity towards H2S vs. CH4, NO2, H2, and C7H8 as well as an outstanding H2S sensing stability as compared to other reported MOFs. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of substrate material on the microstructure and optical properties of hot wall deposited SnS thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bashkirov, S.A.; Gremenok, V.F.; Ivanov, V.A.; Shevtsova, V.V.; Gladyshev, P.P.

2015-01-01

Tin monosulfide SnS raises an interest as a promising material for photovoltaics. The influence of the substrate material on the microstructure and optical properties of SnS thin films with [111] texture obtained by hot wall vacuum deposition on glass, molybdenum and indium tin oxide substrates is reported. The lattice parameters for layers grown on different substrates were determined by X-ray diffraction and their deviations from the data reported in the literature for single α-SnS crystals were discussed. The change in the degree of preferred orientation of the films depending on the substrate material is observed. The direct nature of the optical transitions with the optical band gap of 1.15 ± 0.01 eV is reported. - Highlights: • SnS thin films were hot wall deposited on glass, molybdenum and indium tin oxide. • Physical properties of the films were studied with respect to the substrate type. • The SnS lattice parameter deviations were observed and the explanation was given. • The direct optical transitions with the band gap of 1.15 ± 0.01 eV were observed

Human action pattern monitor for telecare system utilizing magnetic thin film infrared sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osada, H.; Chiba, S.; Oka, H.; Seki, K.

2002-01-01

The magnetic thin film infrared sensor (MFI) is an infrared sensing device utilizing a temperature-sensitive magnetic thin film with marked temperature dependence in the room temperature range. We propose a human action pattern monitor (HPM) constructed with the MFI, without a monitor camera to save the clients' privacy, as a telecare system

Design of efficient loadcell for measurement of mechanical impact by piezoelectric PVDF film sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priyanka Guin

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Conversion efficiency of mechanical impact into electrical voltage remains ever increasing demand for piezoelectric PVDF film sensor. For a given film sensor, the output voltage produced due to mechanical impact is highly dependent on the direction of stretching (or compressing and active area of the film sensor. More is the active area of the film; higher will be the output voltage. It is shown that the active area is significantly increased due to the ridge-like shape given at the inner surfaces of the plates of sandwich type loadcell and as a result of which higher conversion efficiency is obtained. The effectiveness of the ridge-like shape is confirmed statistically by conducting two factorial design of experiment in which shape and material of the loadcell are considered as the two factors with 2×4 matrix. In case of loadcell made of glass plates, more than 100% increase in the output voltage is observed for ridge-like shape in comparison to its plain counterpart. Both the bandwidth and frequency range of the output signal is found to be independent and dependent of the loadcell materials for indirect and direct impact with the loadcell respectively. The merits and demerits of the fabricated loadcells are discussed.

The Enhanced Formaldehyde-Sensing Properties of P3HT-ZnO Hybrid Thin Film OTFT Sensor and Further Insight into Its Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huiling Tai

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A thin-film transistor (TFT having an organic–inorganic hybrid thin film combines the advantage of TFT sensors and the enhanced sensing performance of hybrid materials. In this work, poly(3-hexylthiophene (P3HT-zinc oxide (ZnO nanoparticles’ hybrid thin film was fabricated by a spraying process as the active layer of TFT for the employment of a room temperature operated formaldehyde (HCHO gas sensor. The effects of ZnO nanoparticles on morphological and compositional features, electronic and HCHO-sensing properties of P3HT-ZnO thin film were systematically investigated. The results showed that P3HT-ZnO hybrid thin film sensor exhibited considerable improvement of sensing response (more than two times and reversibility compared to the pristine P3HT film sensor. An accumulation p-n heterojunction mechanism model was developed to understand the mechanism of enhanced sensing properties by incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS and atomic force microscopy (AFM characterizations were used to investigate the stability of the sensor in-depth, which reveals the performance deterioration was due to the changes of element composition and the chemical state of hybrid thin film surface induced by light and oxygen. Our study demonstrated that P3HT-ZnO hybrid thin film TFT sensor is beneficial in the advancement of novel room temperature HCHO sensing technology.

Note: Durability analysis of optical fiber hydrogen sensor based on Pd-Y alloy film.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Peng-cheng; Chen, You-ping; Zhang, Gang; Song, Han; Liu, Yi

2016-02-01

The Pd-Y alloy sensing film has an excellent property for hydrogen detection, but just for one month, the sensing film's property decreases seriously. To study the failure of the sensing film, the XPS spectra analysis was used to explore the chemical content of the Pd-Y alloy film, and analysis results demonstrate that the yttrium was oxidized. The paper presented that such an oxidized process was the potential reason of the failure of the sensing film. By understanding the reason of the failure of the sensing film better, we could improve the manufacturing process to enhance the property of hydrogen sensor.

Image-receptor performance: a comparison of Trophy RVG UI sensor and Kodak Ektaspeed Plus film.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludlow, J; Mol, A

2001-01-01

Objective. This study compares the physical characteristics of the RVG UI sensor (RVG) with Ektaspeed Plus film. Dose-response curves were generated for film and for each of 6 available RVG modes. An aluminum step-wedge was used to evaluate exposure latitude. Spatial resolution was assessed by using a line-pair test tool. Latitude and resolution were assessed by observers for both modalities. The RVG was further characterized by its modulation transfer function. Exposure latitude was equal for film and RVG in the periodontal mode. Other gray scale modes demonstrated much lower latitude. The average maximum resolution was 15.3 line-pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) for RVG in high-resolution mode, 10.5 lp/mm for RVG in low-resolution mode, and 20 lp/mm for film (P <.0001). Modulation transfer function measurements supported the subjective assessments. In periodontal mode, the RVG UI sensor demonstrates exposure latitude similar to that of Ektaspeed Plus film. Film images exhibit significantly higher spatial resolution than the RVG images acquired in high-resolution mode.

A thermal sensor for water using self-heated NTC thick-film segmented thermistors

OpenAIRE

Nikolić, Maria Vesna; Radojčić, B. M.; Aleksić, Obrad; Luković, Miloljub D.; Nikolić, Pantelija

2011-01-01

A simple thermal (heat loss) sensor system was designed in a small plastic tube housing using a negative thermal coefficient (NTC) thick-film thermistor as a self-heating sensor. The voltage power supply [range constant voltage (RCV)-range constant voltage] uses the measured input water temperature to select the applied voltage in steps (up and down) in order to enable operation of the sensor at optimal sensitivity for different water temperatures. The input water temperature was measured usi...

Micromachined thin-film sensors for SOI-CMOS co-integration

CERN Document Server

Laconte, Jean; Raskin, Jean-Pierre

2006-01-01

Co-integration of MEMS and MOS in SOI technology is promising and well demonstrated hereThe impact of Micromachining on SOI devices is deeply analyzed for the first timeInclude extensive TMAH etching, residual stress, microheaters, gas-flow sensors reviewResidual stresses in thin films need to be more and more monitored in MEMS designsTMAH micromachining is an attractive alternative to KOH.

Electrochemical, morphological and microstructural characterization of carbon film resistor electrodes for application in electrochemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouveia-Caridade, Carla; Soares, David M.; Liess, Hans-Dieter; Brett, Christopher M.A.

2008-01-01

The electrochemical and microstructural properties of carbon film electrodes made from carbon film electrical resistors of 1.5, 15, 140 Ω and 2.0 kΩ nominal resistance have been investigated before and after electrochemical pre-treatment at +0.9 V vs SCE, in order to assess the potential use of these carbon film electrodes as electrochemical sensors and as substrates for sensors and biosensors. The results obtained are compared with those at electrodes made from previously investigated 2 Ω carbon film resistors. Cyclic voltammetry was performed in acetate buffer and phosphate buffer saline electrolytes and the kinetic parameters of the model redox system Fe(CN) 6 3-/4- obtained. The 1.5 Ω resistor electrodes show the best properties for sensor development with wide potential windows, similar electrochemical behaviour to those of 2 Ω and close-to-reversible kinetic parameters after electrochemical pre-treatment. The 15 and 140 Ω resistor electrodes show wide potential windows although with slower kinetics, whereas the 2.0 kΩ resistor electrodes show poor cyclic voltammetric profiles even after pre-treatment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy related these findings to the interfacial properties of the electrodes. Microstructural and morphological studies were carried out using contact mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Confocal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. AFM showed more homogeneity of the films with lower nominal resistances, related to better electrochemical characteristics. X-ray diffraction and Confocal Raman spectroscopy indicate the existence of a graphitic structure in the carbon films

Alcohol vapours sensor based on thin polyaniline salt film and quartz crystal microbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayad, Mohamad M; Torad, Nagy L

2009-06-15

A sensor based on the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was developed for detection of a number of primary aliphatic alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, 1-propanol, and 2-propanol vapours. Detection was based on a sensitive and a thin film of polyaniline, emeraldine salt (ES), coated the QCM electrode. The frequency shifts (Delta f) of the QCM were increased due to the vapour absorption into the ES film. The values of Delta f were found to be linearly correlated with the concentrations of alcohols vapour in mg L(-1). The changes in frequency are due to the hydrophilic character of the ES and the electrostatic interaction as well as the type of the alcohol. The sensor shows a good reproducibility and reversibility. The diffusion and diffusion coefficient (D) of different alcohols vapour were determined. It was found that the sensor follows Fickian kinetics.

Chemical Vapor Identification by Plasma Treated Thick Film Tin Oxide Gas Sensor Array and Pattern Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Srivastava

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Present study deals the class recognition potential of a four element plasma treated thick film tin oxide gas sensor array exposed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs. Methanol, Ethanol and Acetone are selected as target VOCs and exposed on sensor array at different concentration in range from 100-1000 ppm. Sensor array consist of four tin oxide sensors doped with 1-4 % PbO concentrations were fabricated by thick film technology and then treated with oxygen plasma for 5-10 minute durations. Sensor signal is analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA for visual classification of VOCs. Further output of PCA is used as input for classification of VOCs by four pattern classification techniques as: linear discriminant analysis (LDA, k-nearest neighbor (KNN, back propagation neural network (BPNN and support vector machine (SVM. All the four classifier results 100 % correct classification rate of VOCs by response analysis of sensor array treated with plasma for 5 minute.

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbaro, G.; Galdi, M. R.; Di Maio, L.; Incarnato, L.

2015-01-01

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4% wt/wt ) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbaro, G., E-mail: giovannibarbaro@email.it; Galdi, M. R., E-mail: mrgaldi@unisa.it; Di Maio, L., E-mail: ldimaio@unisa.it; Incarnato, L., E-mail: lincarnato@unisa.it [Industrial Engineering Department, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano (Italy)

2015-12-17

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4%{sub wt/wt}) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films.

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

Science.gov (United States)

Barbaro, G.; Galdi, M. R.; Di Maio, L.; Incarnato, L.

2015-12-01

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4%wt/wt) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films.

Highly selective single-use fluoride ion optical sensor based on aluminum(III)-salen complex in thin polymeric film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badr, Ibrahim H.A.; Meyerhoff, Mark E.

2005-01-01

A highly selective optical sensor for fluoride ion based on the use of an aluminum(III)-salen complex as an ionophore within a thin polymeric film is described. The sensor is prepared by embedding the aluminum(III)-salen ionophore and a suitable lipophilic pH-sensitive indicator (ETH-7075) in a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film. Optical response to fluoride occurs due to fluoride extraction into the polymer via formation of a strong complex with the aluminum(III)-salen species. Co-extraction of protons occurs simultaneously, with protonation of the indicator dye yielding the optical response at 529 nm. Films prepared using dioctylsebacate (DOS) are shown to exhibit better response (e.g., linear range, detection limit, and optical signal stability) compared to those prepared using ortho-nitrophenyloctyl ether (o-NPOE). Films formulated with aluminum(III)-salen and ETH-7075 indicator in 2 DOS:1 PVC, exhibit a significantly enhanced selectivity for fluoride over a wide range of lipophilic anions including salicylate, perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate. The optimized films exhibit a sub-micromolar detection limit, using glycine-phosphate buffer, pH 3.00, as the test sample. The response times of the fluoride optical sensing films are in the range of 1-10 min depending on the fluoride ion concentration in the sample. The sensor exhibits very poor reversibility owing to a high co-extraction constant (log K = 8.5 ± 0.4), indicating that it can best be employed as a single-use transduction device. The utility of the aluminum(III)-salen based fluoride sensitive films as single-use sensors is demonstrated by casting polymeric films on the bottom of standard polypropylene microtiter plate wells (96 wells/plate). The modified microtiter plate optode format sensors exhibit response characteristics comparable to the classical optode films cast on quartz slides. The modified microtiter is utilized for the analysis of fluoride in diluted anti-cavity fluoride rinse

Adsorption smoke detector made of thin-film metal-oxide semiconductor sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamian, A.Z.; Adamian, Z.N.; Aroutiounian, V.M.

2001-01-01

Based on results of investigations of the thin-film smoke sensors made of Bi 2 O 3 , irresponsive to a change in relative humidity of the environment, an absorption smoke detector processing circuit, where investigated sensor is used as a sensitive element, is proposed. It is shown that such smoke detector is able to function reliably under conditions of high relative humidity of the environment (up to 100%) and it considerably exceeds the known smoke detectors by the sensitivity threshold

Adsorption smoke detector made of thin-film metal-oxide semiconductor sensor

CERN Document Server

Adamian, A Z; Aroutiounian, V M

2001-01-01

Based on results of investigations of the thin-film smoke sensors made of Bi sub 2 O sub 3 , irresponsive to a change in relative humidity of the environment, an absorption smoke detector processing circuit, where investigated sensor is used as a sensitive element, is proposed. It is shown that such smoke detector is able to function reliably under conditions of high relative humidity of the environment (up to 100%) and it considerably exceeds the known smoke detectors by the sensitivity threshold.

Thin-Film Magnetic-Field-Response Fluid-Level Sensor for Non-Viscous Fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Stanley E.; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.; Taylor, Bryant D.

2008-01-01

An innovative method has been developed for acquiring fluid-level measurements. This method eliminates the need for the fluid-level sensor to have a physical connection to a power source or to data acquisition equipment. The complete system consists of a lightweight, thin-film magnetic-field-response fluid-level sensor (see Figure 1) and a magnetic field response recorder that was described in Magnetic-Field-Response Measurement-Acquisition System (LAR-16908-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 6 (June 2006), page 28. The sensor circuit is a capacitor connected to an inductor. The response recorder powers the sensor using a series of oscillating magnetic fields. Once electrically active, the sensor responds with its own harmonic magnetic field. The sensor will oscillate at its resonant electrical frequency, which is dependent upon the capacitance and inductance values of the circuit.

Acoustoelectric Effect on the Responses of SAW Sensors Coated with Electrospun ZnO Nanostructured Thin Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zafer Ziya Ozturk

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO was a very good candidate for improving the sensitivity of gas sensor technology. The preparation of an electrospun ZnO nanostructured thin film on a 433 MHz Rayleigh wave based Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW sensor and the investigation of the acoustoelectric effect on the responses of the SAW sensor are reported. We prepared an electrospun ZnO nanostructured thin film on the SAW devices by using an electrospray technique. To investigate the dependency of the sensor response on the structure and the number of the ZnO nanoparticles, SAW sensors were prepared with different coating loads. The coating frequency shifts were adjusted to fall between 100 kHz and 2.4 MHz. The sensor measurements were performed against VOCs such as acetone, trichloroethylene, chloroform, ethanol, n-propanol and methanol vapor. The sensor responses of n-propanol have opposite characteristics to the other VOCs, and we attributed these characteristics to the elastic effect/acoustoelectric effect.

Highly Sensitive and Fast Response Colorimetric Humidity Sensors Based on Graphene Oxides Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Chi, Hong; Liu, Yan Jun; Wang, FuKe; He, Chaobin

2015-09-16

Uniform graphene oxide (GO) film for optical humidity sensing was fabricated by dip-coating technique. The resulting GO thin film shows linear optical shifts in the visible range with increase of humidity in the whole relative humidity range (from dry state to 98%). Moreover, GO films exhibit ultrafast sensing to moisture within 250 ms because of the unique atomic thinness and superpermeability of GO sheets. The humidity sensing mechanism was investigated using XRD and computer simulation. The ultrasensitive humidity colorimetric properties of GOs film may enable many potential applications such as disposable humidity sensors for packaging, health, and environmental monitoring.

Transparent conducting films of hierarchically nanostructured polyaniline networks on flexible substrates for high-performance gas sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Shouli; Sun, Chaozheng; Wan, Pengbo; Wang, Cheng; Luo, Ruixian; Li, Yaping; Liu, Junfeng; Sun, Xiaoming

2015-01-21

Transparent chemical gas sensors are assembled from a transparent conducting film of hierarchically nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) networks fabricated on a flexible PET substrate, by coating silver nanowires (Ag NWs) followed by the in situ polymerization of aniline near the sacrificial Ag NW template. The sensor exhibits enhanced gas sensing performance at room temperature in both sensitivity and selectivity to NH3 compared to pure PANI film. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication and characterization of optical sensors using metallic core-shell thin film nanoislands for ozone detection

Science.gov (United States)

Addanki, Satish; Nedumaran, D.

2017-07-01

Core-Shell nanostructures play a vital role in the sensor field owing to their performance improvements in sensing characteristics and well-established synthesis procedures. These nanostructures can be ingeniously tuned to achieve tailored properties for a particular application of interest. In this work, an Ag-Au core-shell thin film nanoislands with APTMS (3-Aminopropyl trimethoxysilane) and PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol) binding agents was modeled, synthesized and characterized. The simulation results were used to fabricate the sensor through chemical route. The results of this study confirmed that the APTMS based Ag-Au core-shell thin film nanoislands offered a better performance over the PVA based Ag-Au core-shell thin film nanoislands. Also, the APTMS based Ag-Au core-shell thin film nanoislands exhibited better sensitivity towards ozone sensing over the other types, viz., APTMS/PVA based Au-Ag core-shell and standalone Au/Ag thin film nanoislands.

Facile synthesis of high strength hot-water wood extract films with oxygen-barrier performance

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ge-Gu; Fu, Gen-Que; Wang, Xiao-Jun; Gong, Xiao-Dong; Niu, Ya-Shuai; Peng, Feng; Yao, Chun-Li; Sun, Run-Cang

2017-01-01

Biobased nanocomposite films for food packaging with high mechanical strength and good oxygen-barrier performance were developed using a hot-water wood extract (HWE). In this work, a facile approach to produce HWE/montmorillonite (MMT) based nanocomposite films with excellent physical properties is described. The focus of this study was to determine the effects of the MMT content on the structure and mechanical properties of nanocomposites and the effects of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on the physical properties of the HWE-MMT films. The experimental results suggested that the intercalation of HWE and CMC in montmorillonite could produce compact, robust films with a nacre-like structure and multifunctional characteristics. This results of this study showed that the mechanical properties of the film designated FCMC0.05 (91.5 MPa) were dramatically enhanced because the proportion of HWE, MMT and CMC was 1:1.5:0.05. In addition, the optimized films exhibited an oxygen permeability below 2.0 cm3 μm/day·m2·kPa, as well as good thermal stability due to the small amount of CMC. These results provide a comprehensive understanding for further development of high-performance nanocomposites which are based on natural polymers (HWE) and assembled layered clays (MMT). These films offer great potential in the field of sustainable packaging.

State of the art in thin film thickness and deposition rate monitoring sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzea, Cristina; Robbie, Kevin

2005-01-01

In situ monitoring parameters are indispensable for thin film fabrication. Among them, thickness and deposition rate control are often the most important in achieving the reproducibility necessary for technological exploitation of physical phenomena dependent on film microstructure. This review describes the types of thickness and deposition rate sensors and their theoretical and phenomenological background, underlining their performances, as well as advantages and disadvantages

Development of luminescent pH sensor films for monitoring bacterial growth through tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fenglin; Raval, Yash; Chen, Hongyu; Tzeng, Tzuen-Rong J; DesJardins, John D; Anker, Jeffrey N

2014-02-01

Although implanted medical devices (IMDs) offer many benefits, they are susceptible to bacterial colonization and infections. Such infections are difficult to treat because bacteria could form biofilms on the implant surface, which reduce antibiotics penetration and generate local dormant regions with low pH and low oxygen. In addition, these infections are hard to detect early because biofilms are often localized on the surface. Herein, an optical sensor film is developed to detect local acidosis on an implanted surface. The film contains both upconverting particles (UCPs) that serve as a light source and a pH indicator that alters the luminescence spectrum. When irradiated with 980 nm light, the UCPs produce deeply penetrating red light emission, while generating negligible autofluorescence in the tissue. The basic form of the pH indicator absorbs more of upconversion luminescence at 661 nm than at 671 nm and consequently the spectral ratio indicates pH. Implanting this pH sensor film beneath 6-7 mm of porcine tissue does not substantially affect the calibration curve because the peaks are closely spaced. Furthermore, growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the sensor surface causes a local pH decrease that can be detected non-invasively through the tissue. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The influences of fluorine and process variations on polysilicon film stress and MOSFET hot carrier effects

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, Lynn E.; Macwilliams, Kenneth P.; Isaac, Mary

1991-01-01

The use of fluorinated gate oxides may provide an improvement in nMOSFET reliability by enhancing hot carrier resistance. In order to clarify the mechanisms by which polysilicon processing and fluorination influence the oxide behavior, a matrix of nMOSFET structures was prepared using various processing, doping, and implantation strategies. These structures were evaluated for crystalline morphology and chemical element distribution. Mechanical stress measurements were taken on the polysilicon films from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. These examinations showed that fluorination of a structure with randomly oriented polysilicon can reduce residual mechanical stress and improve hot carrier resistance at room temperature.

Influence of the physical–chemical properties of polyaniline thin films on the final sensitivity of varied field effect sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mello, Hugo José Nogueira Pedroza Dias, E-mail: hugodiasmello@usp.br; Heimfarth, Tobias; Mulato, Marcelo

2015-06-15

We investigated the use of electrodeposited polyaniline (PANI) thin sensing films in pH sensors. Two configurations of the Extended Gate Field Effect Transistor (EGFET) sensor were studied: the Single EGFET (S-EGFET) and the Instrumental Amplifier EGFET (IA-EGFET) setups. The films were analyzed in both systems and the sensitivity and linearity of each sensor were compared. Initial sensitivities (70–80 mV/pH) measured in the IA-EGFET were reduced due to polymer bulk protonation after a prior measurement in the S-EGFET system. Films with high amount of deposited polymer had their sensitivities least reduced. Bulk protonation occurred due to the step potential applied to the reference electrode in the S-EGFET system. These changes were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), visible reflectance spectroscopy and evaluation of CIE L*a*b* color scale. PANI pH EGFET sensors exhibited good linearity and stability that along with their high sensitivity, easy processing and low cost film production have large potential applications. - Highlights: • Electrodeposited polyaniline thin films were analyzed in two EGFET setups. • Polymer protonation provided changeable sensitivities. • Color and morphological variation confirm polymer aggregation and electrical changes.

Influence of the physical–chemical properties of polyaniline thin films on the final sensitivity of varied field effect sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mello, Hugo José Nogueira Pedroza Dias; Heimfarth, Tobias; Mulato, Marcelo

2015-01-01

We investigated the use of electrodeposited polyaniline (PANI) thin sensing films in pH sensors. Two configurations of the Extended Gate Field Effect Transistor (EGFET) sensor were studied: the Single EGFET (S-EGFET) and the Instrumental Amplifier EGFET (IA-EGFET) setups. The films were analyzed in both systems and the sensitivity and linearity of each sensor were compared. Initial sensitivities (70–80 mV/pH) measured in the IA-EGFET were reduced due to polymer bulk protonation after a prior measurement in the S-EGFET system. Films with high amount of deposited polymer had their sensitivities least reduced. Bulk protonation occurred due to the step potential applied to the reference electrode in the S-EGFET system. These changes were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), visible reflectance spectroscopy and evaluation of CIE L*a*b* color scale. PANI pH EGFET sensors exhibited good linearity and stability that along with their high sensitivity, easy processing and low cost film production have large potential applications. - Highlights: • Electrodeposited polyaniline thin films were analyzed in two EGFET setups. • Polymer protonation provided changeable sensitivities. • Color and morphological variation confirm polymer aggregation and electrical changes

Film bulk acoustic resonator pressure sensor with self temperature reference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, X L; Jin, P C; Zhou, J; Wang, W B; Dong, S R; Luo, J K; Garcia-Gancedo, L; Flewitt, A J; Milne, W I

2012-01-01

A novel film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) with two resonant frequencies which have opposite reactions to temperature changes has been designed. The two resonant modes respond differently to changes in temperature and pressure, with the frequency shift being linearly correlated with temperature and pressure changes. By utilizing the FBAR's sealed back trench as a cavity, an on-chip single FBAR sensor suitable for measuring pressure and temperature simultaneously is proposed and demonstrated. The experimental results show that the pressure coefficient of frequency for the lower frequency peak of the FBAR sensors is approximately −17.4 ppm kPa −1 , while that for the second peak is approximately −6.1 ppm kPa −1 , both of them being much more sensitive than other existing pressure sensors. This dual mode on-chip pressure sensor is simple in structure and operation, can be fabricated at very low cost, and yet requires no specific package, therefore has great potential for applications. (paper)

Development of techniques for fabrication of film probe sensor assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moorhead, A.J.

1982-10-01

Pulsed laser welding and brazing techniques were developed for fabrication of sensors designed to measure liquid film properties in out-of-reactor safety tests that simulate a loss-of-coolant accident in a pressurized-water nuclear reactor. These sensors were made possible by a unique ceramic-to-metal seal system based on a cermet insulator and a brazing filler metal, both developed at ORNL. This seal system was shown to resist steam to an exposure of at least 100 h at 700 0 C (1292 0 F) and to resist repetitive thermal transients of 300 0 C/s (540 0 F). Procedures were also developed for induction brazing the instrumentation cables to a stainless steel end cap and for laser welding this component to the brazed sensor body itself. Cable end seals and sensor bodies fabricated with these designs and techniques maintained excellent helium leaktightness ( -6 cm 3 /s) after 20 severe thermal shock tests from 500 0 C air into water at 80 0 C

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Coated with Sol-gel-derived Thin Films as Gas Sensor for NO Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. J. O’Shea

2003-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the possibilities and properties of Indium tin oxide (ITO-covered quartz crystal as a NOx toxic gas-sensor. The starting sol-gel solution was prepared by mixing indium chloride dissolved in acetylacetone and tin chloride dissolved in ethanol (0-20% by weight. The ITO thin films were deposited on the gold electrodes of quartz crystal by spin-coating technique and subsequently followed a standard photolithography to pattern the derived films to ensure all sensors with the same sensing areas. All heat treatment processes were controlled below 500°C in order to avoid the piezoelectric characteristics degradation of quartz crystal (Quartz will lose its piezoelectricity at ~573°C due to the phase change from α to β. The electrical and structural properties of ITO thin films were characterized with Hall analysis system, TG/DTA, XRD, XPS, SEM and etc. The gas sensor had featured with ITO thin films of ~100nm as the receptor to sense the toxic gas NO and quartz crystal with frequency of 10MHz as the transducer to transfer the surface reactions (mass loading, etc into the frequency shift. A homemade setup had been employed to measure the sensor response under the static mode. The experimental results had indicated that the ITO-coated QCM had a good sensitivity for NO gas, ~12Hz/100ppm within 5mins. These results prove that the ITO-covered quartz crystals are usable as a gas sensor and as an analytical device.

Robust tribo-mechanical and hot corrosion resistance of ultra-refractory Ta-Hf-C ternary alloy films.

Science.gov (United States)

Yate, Luis; Coy, L Emerson; Aperador, Willian

2017-06-08

In this work we report the hot corrosion properties of binary and ternary films of the Ta-Hf-C system in V 2 O 5 -Na 2 SO 4 (50%wt.-50%wt.) molten salts at 700 °C deposited on AISI D3 steel substrates. Additionally, the mechanical and nanowear properties of the films were studied. The results show that the ternary alloys consist of solid solutions of the TaC and HfC binary carbides. The ternary alloy films have higher hardness and elastic recoveries, reaching 26.2 GPa and 87%, respectively, and lower nanowear when compared to the binary films. The corrosion rates of the ternary alloys have a superior behavior compared to the binary films, with corrosion rates as low as 0.058 μm/year. The combination and tunability of high hardness, elastic recovery, low nanowear and an excellent resistance to high temperature corrosion demonstrates the potential of the ternary Ta-Hf-C alloy films for applications in extreme conditions.

Tantalum oxide thin films as protective coatings for sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Carsten; Reus, Roger De; Bouwstra, Siebe

1999-01-01

Reactively sputtered tantalum oxide thin films have been investigated as protective coatings for aggressive media exposed sensors. Tantalum oxide is shown to be chemically very robust. The etch rate in aqueous potassium hydroxide with pH 11 at 140°C is lower than 0.008 Å h-l. Etching in liquids...... with pH values in the range from pH 2 to 11 have generally given etch rates below 0.04 Å h-l. On the other hand patterning is possible in hydrofluoric acid. Further, the passivation behaviour of amorphous tantalum oxide and polycrystalline Ta2O5 is different in buffered hydrofluoric acid. By ex situ...... annealing O2 in the residual thin-film stress can be altered from compressive to tensile and annealing at 450°C for 30 minutes gives a stress-free film. The step coverage of the sputter deposited amorphous tantalum oxide is reasonable, but metallization lines are hard to cover. Sputtered tantalum oxide...

Tantalum oxide thin films as protective coatings for sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Carsten; Reus, Roger De; Bouwstra, Siebe

1999-01-01

Reactively sputtered tantalum oxide thin-films have been investigated as protective coating for aggressive media exposed sensors. Tantalum oxide is shown to be chemically very robust. The etch rate in aqueous potassium hydroxide with pH 11 at 140°C is lower than 0.008 Å/h. Etching in liquids with p......H values in the range from pH 2-11 have generally given etch rates below 0.04 Å/h. On the other hand patterning is possible in hydrofluoric acid. Further, the passivation behaviour of amorphous tantalum oxide and polycrystalline Ta2O5 is different in buffered hydrofluoric acid. By ex-situ annealing in O2...... the residual thin-film stress can be altered from compressive to tensile and annealing at 450°C for 30 minutes gives a stress-free film. The step coverage of the sputter deposited amorphous tantalum oxide is reasonable, but metallisation lines are hard to cover. Sputtered tantalum oxide exhibits high...

Titanium dioxide thin films for high temperature gas sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seeley, Zachary Mark; Bandyopadhyay, Amit; Bose, Susmita, E-mail: sbose@wsu.ed

2010-10-29

Titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) thin film gas sensors were fabricated via the sol-gel method from a starting solution of titanium isopropoxide dissolved in methoxyethanol. Spin coating was used to deposit the sol on electroded aluminum oxide (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) substrates forming a film 1 {mu}m thick. The influence of crystallization temperature and operating temperature on crystalline phase, grain size, electronic conduction activation energy, and gas sensing response toward carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH{sub 4}) was studied. Pure anatase phase was found with crystallization temperatures up to 800 {sup o}C, however, rutile began to form by 900 {sup o}C. Grain size increased with increasing calcination temperature. Activation energy was dependent on crystallite size and phase. Sensing response toward CO and CH{sub 4} was dependent on both calcination and operating temperatures. Films crystallized at 650 {sup o}C and operated at 450 {sup o}C showed the best selectivity toward CO.

Gas Sensing Properties of Metal Doped WO3 Thin Film Sensors Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition and DC Sputtering Process

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuiyan, Md. Mosharraf Hossain; Ueda, Tsuyoshi; Ikegami, Tomoaki; Ebihara, Kenji

2006-10-01

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films gas sensors were prepared by the KrF excimer pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The films were prepared on the quartz glass, silicon and also on the Al2O3 sensor substrates with platinum interdigitated electrodes. The effect of doping of the platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) or gold (Au) on the WO3 thin film was also investigated. These metals were doped to the WO3 thin film by the DC sputtering process during the PLD. The substrate temperature and the oxygen pressure were 400 °C and 100 mTorr, respectively, during the deposition. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensitivity of the prepared sensors to 60 ppm NO gas was examined using the two terminal resistance method in a chamber at atmospheric pressure and operating temperatures of 25-350 °C. The sensitivity of the WO3 thin films doped with Pt, Pd, or Au was found to be higher than that of the undoped WO3 thin film.

Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT) NO₂ Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Rui; Jing, Gaoshan; Yu, Hongyan; Cui, Tianhong

2017-07-29

A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT) sensor was designed and fabricated for NO₂ detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y₂O₃-doped ZrO₂ (YSZ) ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor's sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO₂ sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO₂ emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

Performance of an Advanced Stirling Convertor Based on Heat Flux Sensor Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Dcott D.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) have been developing the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) for use as a power system for space science missions. This generator would use two highefficiency Advanced Stirling Convertors (ASCs), developed by Sunpower, Inc., and NASA Glenn Research Center. The ASCs convert thermal energy from a radioisotope heat source into electricity. As part of ground testing of these ASCs, different operating conditions are used to simulate expected mission conditions. These conditions require achieving a particular operating frequency, hot-end and cold-end temperatures, and specified electrical power output for a given heat input. It is difficult to measure heat input to Stirling convertors due to the complex geometries of the hot components, temperature limits of sensor materials, and invasive integration of sensors. A thin-film heat flux sensor was used to directly measure heat input to an ASC. The effort succeeded in designing and fabricating unique sensors, which were integrated into a Stirling convertor ground test and exposed to test temperatures exceeding 700 C in air for 10,000 hr. Sensor measurements were used to calculate thermal efficiency for ASC-E (Engineering Unit) #1 and #4. The post-disassembly condition of the sensors is also discussed.

Direct growth of large grain polycrystalline silicon films on aluminum-induced crystallization seed layer using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Bing-Rui; Lo, Shih-Yung; Wuu, Dong-Sing; Ou, Sin-Liang; Mao, Hsin-Yuan; Wang, Jui-Hao; Horng, Ray-Hua

2012-01-01

Large grain polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films on glass substrates have been deposited on an aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) seed layer using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). A poly-Si seed layer was first formed by the AIC process and a thicker poly-Si film was subsequently deposited upon the seed layer using HWCVD. The effects of AIC annealing parameters on the structural and electrical properties of the poly-Si seed layers were characterized by Raman scattering spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and Hall measurements. It was found that the crystallinity of seed layer was enhanced with increasing the annealing duration and temperature. The poly-Si seed layer formed at optimum annealing parameters can reach a grain size of 700 nm, hole concentration of 3.5 × 10 18 cm −3 , and Hall mobility of 22 cm 2 /Vs. After forming the seed layer, poly-Si films with good crystalline quality and high growth rate (> 1 nm/s) can be obtained using HWCVD. These results indicated that the HWCVD-deposited poly-Si film on an AIC seed layer could be a promising candidate for thin-film Si photovoltaic applications. - Highlights: ►Poly-Si seed layers are formed by aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) process. ►Poly-Si on AIC seed layers are prepared by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition. ►AIC process parameters affect structural properties of poly-Si films. ►Increasing the annealing duration and temperature increases the film crystallinity.

Ternary NiFeX as soft biasing film in a magnetoresistive sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mao-Min; Gharsallah, Neila; Gorman, Grace L.; Latimer, Jacquie

1991-04-01

The properties of NiFeX ternary films (X being Al, Au, Nb, Pd, Pt, Si, and Zr) have been studied for soft-film biasing of the magnetoresistive (MR) trilayer sensor. In general, the addition of the element X into the NiFe alloy film decreases the saturation magnetization Bs and magnetoresistance coefficient of the film, while increasing the film's electrical resistivity ρ. One of the desirable properties of a soft film for biasing is high sheet resistance for minimum current flow. A figure of merit Bsρ that takes into account both the rate of increase in Bs and the rate of decrease in ρ when adding X element was derived to compare the effectiveness of various X elements in reducing the current shunting through the soft-film layer. Using this criterion, NiFeNb and NiFeZr emerge as good soft-film materials having a maximum sheet resistance relative to the MR layer. Other critical properties such as magnetoresistance coefficient, magnetostriction, coercivity, and anisotropy field were also examined and are discussed in this paper.

Respiration and Heartbeat Measurement for Sleep Monitoring Using a Flexible AlN Piezoelectric Film Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan BU

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Respiratory and heartbeat monitoring during sleep provides basic physiological information for diagnosis of sleep disorders. This paper proposes a new method for non-invasive and unconstrained measurement of respiration and heartbeat during sleep. A flexible piezoelectric film sensor made of aluminum nitride (AlN material is used for signal acquisition. The total thickness of this sensor is less than 40 μm; the thin thickness makes it imperceptible when integrated into a bed. In addition, the AlN film sensor has good sensitivity, so that pressure fluctuation due to respiration and heartbeat can be measured when a subject is lying on this sensor. The pressure fluctuation measured can be further separated into signals corresponding to respiration and heartbeat, respectively. In the proposed method, the signal separation is achieved using an algorithm based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD. From the experimental results, it was found that respiration and heartbeat signals can be successfully obtained with the proposed method.

A novel thick-film electrical conductivity sensor suitable for liquid and soil conductivity measurements

OpenAIRE

Atkinson, John; Sophocleous, Marios

2015-01-01

Results are reported from an initial evaluation of a novel conductivity sensor that could be incorporated onto a multi-element thick film (screen printed) sensor array designed for soil and water analysis. The new sensor exhibits a repeatable cell constant over a wide range of conductivities and is currently performing very well in an investigation of soil structural properties where its output is being correlated with soil water content in a study of different soil porosities.

Film boiling heat transfer from a hot sphere falling in two-phase pool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bang, K. H.; Kim, K. Y.

1998-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to experimentally investigate film boiling heat trasfer from a hot sphere falling in steam-water two-phase pool, which is the key heat transfer mode in molten fuel and coolant mixing. To measure film boiling heat transfer coefficients on a spere falling in two-phase pool, a heated sphere with a thermocouple embedded at the center is dropped in a vertical tube filled with steam-water mixture. The present experiment is unique in making the heated sphere fall through the two-phase pool while the previous experiments were performed with stationary spheres in flowing fluid. The falling speed of the sphere is measured using a set of magnet pickup coils distributed along the tube. The ranges of the experimental conditions are: spere fall speed 0-0.5 m/s, average void fraction 0-25,% steam superficial velocity 0-0.25 m/s. The results show that the forced convection film boiling heat transfer coefficient decrease slightly as the steam superficial velocity (void fraction) is increased

A sensor of alcohol vapours based on thin polyaniline base film and quartz crystal microbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayad, Mohamad M; El-Hefnawey, Gad; Torad, Nagy L

2009-08-30

Thin films of polyaniline base, emeraldine base (EB), coating on the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode were used as a sensitive layer for the detection of a number of primary aliphatic alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, 2-propanol and 1-propanol vapours. The frequency shifts (Deltaf) of the QCM were increased due to the vapour adsorption into the EB film. Deltaf were found to be linearly correlated with the concentrations of alcohols vapour in part per million (ppm). The sensitivity of the sensor was found to be governed by the chemical structure of the alcohol. The sensor shows a good reproducibility and reversibility. The diffusions of different alcohols vapour were studied and the diffusion coefficients (D) were calculated. It is concluded that the diffusion of the vapours into the EB film follows Fickian kinetics.

Study of the structural evolutions of crystalline tungsten oxide films prepared using hot-filament CVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, P X; Wang, X P; Zhang, H X; Yang, B Q; Wang, Z B; Gonzalez-BerrIos, A; Morell, G; Weiner, B

2007-01-01

Structural evolutions of tungsten oxide(WO 3 ) samples on different substrates are studied using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The WO 3 samples are prepared using hot-filament CVD techniques. The focus of the study is on the evolutions of nano structures at different stages following deposition time. The experimental measurements reveal evolutions of the surface structures from uniform film to fractal-like structures, and eventually to nano particles, and crystalline structures from mono (0 1 0) crystalline thin film to polycrystalline thick film developments. The effect of high temperature on the nanostructured WO 3 is also investigated. Well-aligned nanoscale WO 3 rod arrays are obtained at a substrate temperature of up to 1400 deg. C. Further increasing the substrate temperature yields microscale crystalline WO 3 particles

Studies on micro-structures at vapor-liquid interfaces of film boiling on hot liquid surface at arriving of a shock pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inoue, Akira; Lee, S. [Tokyo Inst. of Tech. (Japan)

1998-01-01

In vapor explosions, a pressure wave (shock wave) plays a fundamental role in the generation, propagation and escalation of the explosion. Transient volume change by rapid heat flow from a high temperature liquid to a low temperature volatile one and phase change generate micro-scale flow and the pressure wave. One of key issues for the vapor explosion is to make clear the mechanism to support the explosive energy release from hot drop to cold liquid. According to our observations by an Image Converter Camera, growth rate of vapor film around a hot tin drop became several times higher than that around a hot Platinum tube at the same conditions when a pressure pulse collapsed the film. The thermally induced fragmentation was followed by the explosive growth rate of the hot drop. In the previous report, we have proposed that the interface instability and fragmentation model in which the fine Taylor instability of vapor-liquid interface at the collapsing and re-growth phase of vapor film and the instability induced by the high pressure spots at the drop surface were assumed. In this study, the behavior of the vapor-liquid interface region at arrival of a pressure pulse was investigated by the CIPRIS code which is able to simulate dynamics of transient multi-phase interface regions. It is compared with the observation results. Through detailed investigations of these results, the mechanisms of the thermal fragmentation of single drop are discussed. (J.P.N.)

Characterizations and performance evaluations of thin film interdigital sensors for Gram-negative bacteria detection

KAUST Repository

Mohd. Syaifudin, A. R.

2011-11-01

Thin film interdigital sensors have been designed and fabricated. The sensors were fabricated using different substrates and using different fabrication technology. The initial design was fabricated on glass slide and fabricated using IDT (Intergrated Device Technology). The new sensors were fabricated on silicon/silicon dioxide wafer. All sensors were coated with APTES, a cross-linker bind to certain bio-molecules and then were immobilized with Polymyxin B, a specific bio-molecules that bind to endotoxin (Lipopolysaccharide, LPS). Sensors were tested for different concentrations of LPS. The impedance characteristics were presented using Impedance Spectroscopy method. A principle component analysis (PCA) was used for better data classification method. © 2011 IEEE.

A Manganin Thin Film Ultra-High Pressure Sensor for Microscale Detonation Pressure Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Zhang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available With the development of energetic materials (EMs and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS initiating explosive devices, the measurement of detonation pressure generated by EMs in the microscale has become a pressing need. This paper develops a manganin thin film ultra-high pressure sensor based on MEMS technology for measuring the output pressure from micro-detonator. A reliable coefficient is proposed for designing the sensor’s sensitive element better. The sensor employs sandwich structure: the substrate uses a 0.5 mm thick alumina ceramic, the manganin sensitive element with a size of 0.2 mm × 0.1 mm × 2 μm and copper electrodes of 2 μm thick are sputtered sequentially on the substrate, and a 25 μm thick insulating layer of polyimide is wrapped on the sensitive element. The static test shows that the piezoresistive coefficient of manganin thin film is 0.0125 GPa−1. The dynamic experiment indicates that the detonation pressure of micro-detonator is 12.66 GPa, and the response time of the sensor is 37 ns. In a word, the sensor developed in this study is suitable for measuring ultra-high pressure in microscale and has a shorter response time than that of foil-like manganin gauges. Simultaneously, this study could be beneficial to research on ultra-high-pressure sensors with smaller size.

Voltage Controlled Hot Carrier Injection Enables Ohmic Contacts Using Au Island Metal Films on Ge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganti, Srinivas; King, Peter J; Arac, Erhan; Dawson, Karl; Heikkilä, Mikko J; Quilter, John H; Murdoch, Billy; Cumpson, Peter; O'Neill, Anthony

2017-08-23

We introduce a new approach to creating low-resistance metal-semiconductor ohmic contacts, illustrated using high conductivity Au island metal films (IMFs) on Ge, with hot carrier injection initiated at low applied voltage. The same metallization process simultaneously allows ohmic contact to n-Ge and p-Ge, because hot carriers circumvent the Schottky barrier formed at metal/n-Ge interfaces. A 2.5× improvement in contact resistivity is reported over previous techniques to achieve ohmic contact to both n- and p- semiconductor. Ohmic contacts at 4.2 K confirm nonequilibrium current transport. Self-assembled Au IMFs are strongly orientated to Ge by annealing near the Au/Ge eutectic temperature. Au IMF nanostructures form, provided the Au layer is below a critical thickness. We anticipate that optimized IMF contacts may have applicability to many material systems. Optimizing this new paradigm for metal-semiconductor contacts offers the prospect of improved nanoelectronic systems and the study of voltage controlled hot holes and electrons.

A vacuum pressure sensor based on ZnO nanobelt film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, X J; Cao, X C; Sun, J; Yuan, B; Zhu, Z; Zhang, Y; Li, Q H

2011-01-01

A vacuum pressure sensor was fabricated by assembling ZnO nanobelt film on the interdigital electrodes, and the current-voltage characteristics were measured with an Agilent semiconductor parameter tester. Under different pressures of 1.0 x 10 3 , 6.7 x 10 -3 , 8.2 x 10 -4 and 9.5 x 10 -5 mbar, the currents are 8.71, 28.1, 46.1 and 89.6 nA, and the pressure sensitive resistances are 1150, 356, 217 and 112 MΩ, respectively. In the range of 10 -5 -10 3 mbar the smaller the pressure is, the higher the current is. The pressure sensitive resistance of the vacuum pressure sensor increases linearly with the logarithmic pressure, and the measurement range is at least one order of magnitude wider than that of the previous sensors. Under the final pressure, the vacuum pressure sensor has maximum sensitivity (9.29) and power consumption of 0.9 μW. The sensitivity is larger than that of the previous sensor based on a ZnO single nanowire at that pressure, and the power consumption is much lower than that for the sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array. The pressure sensitive mechanism is reasonably explained by using oxygen chemisorption and energy band theory.

Integration of thin film giant magnetoimpedance sensor and surface acoustic wave transponder

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong

2012-03-09

Passive and remote sensing technology has many potential applications in implantable devices, automation, or structural monitoring. In this paper, a tri-layer thin film giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensor with the maximum sensitivity of 16%/Oe and GMI ratio of 44% was combined with a two-port surface acoustic wave(SAW) transponder on a common substrate using standard microfabrication technology resulting in a fully integrated sensor for passive and remote operation. The implementation of the two devices has been optimized by on-chip matching circuits. The measurement results clearly show a magnetic field response at the input port of the SAW transponder that reflects the impedance change of the GMI sensor.

Integration of thin film giant magnetoimpedance sensor and surface acoustic wave transponder

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong; Salem, Nedime Pelin M. H.; Giouroudi, Ioanna; Kosel, Jü rgen

2012-01-01

Passive and remote sensing technology has many potential applications in implantable devices, automation, or structural monitoring. In this paper, a tri-layer thin film giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensor with the maximum sensitivity of 16%/Oe and GMI ratio of 44% was combined with a two-port surface acoustic wave(SAW) transponder on a common substrate using standard microfabrication technology resulting in a fully integrated sensor for passive and remote operation. The implementation of the two devices has been optimized by on-chip matching circuits. The measurement results clearly show a magnetic field response at the input port of the SAW transponder that reflects the impedance change of the GMI sensor.

Tilted c-Axis Thin-Film Bulk Wave Resonant Pressure Sensors With Improved Sensitivity

OpenAIRE

Anderås, Emil; Katardjiev, Ilia; Yantchev, Ventsislav

2012-01-01

Aluminum nitride thin film bulk wave resonant pressure sensors employing c- and tilted c-axis texture, have been fabricated and tested for their pressure sensitivities. The c-axis tilted FBAR pressure sensors demonstrate substantially higher pressure sensitivity compared to its c-axis oriented counterpart. More specifically the thickness plate quasi-shear resonance has demonstrated the highest pressure sensitivity while further being able to preserve its performance in liquid environment.

Quasiparticle Diffusion in Al Films Coupled to Tungsten Transition Edge Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Yen, J. J.; Young, B. A.; Cabrera, B.; Brink, P. L.; Cherry, M.; Moffatt, R.; Pyle, M.; Redl, P.; Tomada, A.; Tortorici, E. C.

2014-08-01

We report recent results obtained from several W/Al test devices on Si wafers fabricated specifically to better understand energy collection in phonon sensors used for the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment. The devices under study consist of three different lengths of 250 m-wide by 300 nm-thick Al absorber films, coupled to 250 m x 250 m (40 nm thick) W-TESs at each end of the Al film. An Fe source was used to excite a NaCl reflector producing 2.6 keV Cl X-rays that were absorbed in our test device after passing through a collimator. The impinging X-rays broke Cooper pairs in the Al film, producing quasiparticles that we detected after they propagated into the W-TESs. We studied the diffusion of these quasiparticles in the Al, trapping effects in the Al film, and energy transmission at the Al/W interfaces.

The growth of GaN films by alternate source gas supply hot-mesh CVD method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komae, Yasuaki; Saitou, Takeshi [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan); Suemitsu, Maki; Ito, Takashi [Center of Interdisciplinary Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Endoh, Tetsuo [Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Nakazawa, Hideki [Faculty of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561 (Japan); Narita, Yuzuru [Faculty of Engineering, Yamagata University, Yonezawa 992-8510 (Japan); Takata, Masasuke; Akahane, Tadashi [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan); Yasui, Kanji, E-mail: kyasui@vos.nagaokaut.ac.j [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan)

2009-04-30

Gallium nitride (GaN) films and Aluminium nitride (AlN) layers were deposited on SiC/Si (111) substrates by an alternating source gas supply or an intermittent supply of a source gas such as ammonia (NH{sub 3}), trimethylgallium (TMG) or trimethylaluminum (TMA) in a hot-mesh chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus. The AlN layer was deposited as a buffer layer using NH{sub 3} and TMA on a SiC layer grown by carbonization on Si substrates using propane (C{sub 3}H{sub 8}). GaN films were grown on an AlN layer by a reaction between NH{sub x} radicals generated on a ruthenium (Ru) coated tungsten (W)-mesh and TMG molecules. An alternating source gas supply or an intermittent supply of one of the source gases during the film growth are expected to be effective for the suppression of gas phase reactions and for the enhancement of precursor migration on the substrate surface. By the intermittent supply of alkylmetal gas only during the growth of the AlN layer, the defect generation in the GaN films was reduced. GaN film growth by intermittent supply on an AlN buffer layer, however, did not lead to the improvement of the film quality.

Swift heavy ion irradiated SnO{sub 2} thin film sensor for efficient detection of SO{sub 2} gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyagi, Punit; Sharma, Savita [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Tomar, Monika [Department of Physics, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Singh, Fouran [Inter University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India); Gupta, Vinay, E-mail: drguptavinay@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • Response of Ni{sup 7+} ion irradiated (100 MeV) SnO{sub 2} film have been performed. • Effect of irradiation on the structural and optical properties of SnO{sub 2} film is studied. • A decrease in operating temperature and increased response is seen after irradiation. - Abstract: Gas sensing response studies of the Ni{sup 7+} ion irradiated (100 MeV) and non-irradiated SnO{sub 2} thin film sensor prepared under same conditions have been performed towards SO{sub 2} gas (500 ppm). The effect of irradiation on the structural, surface morphological, optical and gas sensing properties of SnO{sub 2} thin film based sensor have been studied. A significant decrease in operating temperature (from 220 °C to 60 °C) and increased sensing response (from 1.3 to 5.0) is observed for the sample after irradiation. The enhanced sensing response obtained for the irradiated SnO{sub 2} thin film based sensor is attributed to the desired modification in the surface morphology and material properties of SnO{sub 2} thin film by Ni{sup 7+} ions.

Molybdenum Doped SnO2 Thin Films as a Methanol Vapor Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patil Shriram B.

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The molybdenum doped SnO2 thin films were synthesized by conventional spray pyrolysis route and has been investigated for the methanol vapor sensing. The structural and elemental composition analysis of thin films was carried out by X- ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX.The XRD spectrum revealed that the thin films have the polycrystalline nature with a mixed phase comprising of SnO2 and MoO3. The scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM clears that the surface morphology observed to be granular, uniformly covering the entire surface area of the thin film. The methanol vapor sensing studies were performed in dry air at the different temperatures. The influence of the concentration of Molybdenum and operating temperature on the sensor performance has been investigated.

Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to MTR environment measurements. Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to Material Testing Reactor environment measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Very, F.; Rosenkrantz, E.; Combette, P.; Ferrandis, J.Y.; Fourmentel, D.; Destouches, C.; Villard, J.F.

2015-01-01

The development of advanced instrumentation for in-pile experiments in Material Testing Reactor constitutes a main goal for the improvement of the nuclear fuel behavior knowledge. An acoustic method for fission gas release detection was tested with success during a first experiment called REMORA 3 in 2010 and 2011, and the results were used to differentiate helium and fission gas release kinetics under transient operating conditions. This experiment was lead at OSIRIS reactor (CEA Saclay, France). The maximal temperature on the sensor during the irradiation was about 150 deg. C. In this paper we present a thick film transducer produce by screen printing process. The screen printing of piezoelectric offers a wide range of possible applications for the development of acoustic sensors and piezoelectric structure for measurements in high temperature environment. We firstly produced a Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) based paste composed of Pz27 powder from Ferroperm, CF7575 glass, and organic solvent ESL 400. Likewise a Bismuth Titanate based paste synthesized in our laboratory was produced. With these inks we produced thick film up to 130 μm by screen printing process. Material properties characterizations of these thick-film resonators are essential for device design and applications. The piezoelectric coefficients d33 and pyro-electric P(T) coefficient are investigated. The highest P(T) and d33 are respectively 80 μC.m -2 .K -1 and 130 μC.N -1 for the PZT transducer -which validates the fabrication process-. In view of the development of this transducer oriented for high temperature and irradiation environment, we investigated the electrical properties of the transducers for different ranges of frequencies and temperature - from 20 Hz up to 40 MHz between 30 and 400 deg. C. We highlight the evolution of the impedance response and piezoelectric parameters of screen printed piezoelectric structures on alumina. Shortly an irradiation will be realized in order to

Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to MTR environment measurements. Thick Films acoustic sensors devoted to Material Testing Reactor environment measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Very, F.; Rosenkrantz, E.; Combette, P.; Ferrandis, J.Y. [University Montpellier, IES, UMR 5214, F-34000, Montpellier (France); CNRS, IES, UMR 5214, F-34000, Montpellier (France); Fourmentel, D.; Destouches, C.; Villard, J.F. [CEA, DEN, Instrumentation Sensors and Dosimetry Laboratory, Cadarache, F-13108 St Paul lez Durance (France)

2015-07-01

The development of advanced instrumentation for in-pile experiments in Material Testing Reactor constitutes a main goal for the improvement of the nuclear fuel behavior knowledge. An acoustic method for fission gas release detection was tested with success during a first experiment called REMORA 3 in 2010 and 2011, and the results were used to differentiate helium and fission gas release kinetics under transient operating conditions. This experiment was lead at OSIRIS reactor (CEA Saclay, France). The maximal temperature on the sensor during the irradiation was about 150 deg. C. In this paper we present a thick film transducer produce by screen printing process. The screen printing of piezoelectric offers a wide range of possible applications for the development of acoustic sensors and piezoelectric structure for measurements in high temperature environment. We firstly produced a Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) based paste composed of Pz27 powder from Ferroperm, CF7575 glass, and organic solvent ESL 400. Likewise a Bismuth Titanate based paste synthesized in our laboratory was produced. With these inks we produced thick film up to 130 μm by screen printing process. Material properties characterizations of these thick-film resonators are essential for device design and applications. The piezoelectric coefficients d33 and pyro-electric P(T) coefficient are investigated. The highest P(T) and d33 are respectively 80 μC.m{sup -2}.K{sup -1} and 130 μC.N{sup -1} for the PZT transducer -which validates the fabrication process-. In view of the development of this transducer oriented for high temperature and irradiation environment, we investigated the electrical properties of the transducers for different ranges of frequencies and temperature - from 20 Hz up to 40 MHz between 30 and 400 deg. C. We highlight the evolution of the impedance response and piezoelectric parameters of screen printed piezoelectric structures on alumina. Shortly an irradiation will be realized in

Silver nanowire/polymer composite soft conductive film fabricated by large-area compatible coating for flexible pressure sensor array

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sujie; Li, Siying; Peng, Sai; Huang, Yukun; Zhao, Jiaqing; Tang, Wei; Guo, Xiaojun

2018-01-01

Soft conductive films composed of a silver nanowire (AgNW) network, a neutral-pH PEDOT:PSS over-coating layer and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate are fabricated by large area compatible coating processes. The neutral-pH PEDOT:PSS layer is shown to be able to significantly improve the conductivity, stretchability and air stability of the conductive films. The soft conductive films are patterned using a simple maskless patterning approach to fabricate an 8 × 8 flexible pressure sensor array. It is shown that such soft conductive films can help to improve the sensitivity and reduce the signal crosstalk over the pressure sensor array. Project supported by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 16JC1400603).

The Influence of Polymerization Condition to Optical Properties of Poly-o-toludine Films for PH Sensor Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanti Sabarinah

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Properties of poly-o-toludine film strongly bonded to non polar substrate was studied for application as optical pH sensor. Characterization of film in various pH value is carried out by recording absorbance curve using uv-visible spectrophotometer. All poly-o-toluidine film was then found to be applicable as optical pH sensor in the pH range of 2.0- 6.0. Further computational processing by means of curve fitting into logaritmic trend will allow expansion of measurement to the pH range of 2.0-8.0. Sensitivity of pH response was highest in poly-o-toluidine film fabricate at HCl 1.0 M and at 12 hours of dipping time. This paper also studied hysteresis effect in pH response. It was concluded that poly-o-toluidine salt exposed to basic pH will not be easily regenerated. For this reason, poly-o-toluidine film will only be suitable for single usage of pH measurement.

Improvement in the Sensitivity of PbO Doped Tin Oxide Thick Film Gas Sensor by RF and Microwave Oxygen Plasma Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. SRIVASTAVA

2010-07-01

Full Text Available In the present work efforts have been made to analyze the effect of oxygen plasma and PbO doping on the sensitivity of SnO2-based thick film gas sensor for methanol, propanol and acetone. The effect of substrate temperature on the response of dual frequency (RF and microwave plasma treated thick film sensor array has also been studied. To achieve this, three sensor arrays (each with four tin oxide sensors doped with different (1 %, 2 %, 3 % and 4 % PbO concentrations were fabricated by thick film technology and then treated with oxygen plasma for various durations (5 min, 10 min. and 15 min.. The plasma treated sensors were found to possess appreciably high sensitivity at room temperature in comparison to untreated sensor. The sensitivity showed the increasing trend with plasma exposure time and 15 minutes exposure time was found to be most suitable as the sensitivity of the plasma treated sensors for this duration were high towards all the chosen vapors with maximum (97 % value for propanol. The sensitivity of the sensors were found to be increasing gradually as PbO concentration was varied from 1- 4%.

Facile fabrication of wire-type indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors applicable to ultrasensitive flexible sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeong-Gyu; Tak, Young Jun; Kim, Hee Jun; Kim, Won-Gi; Yoo, Hyukjoon; Kim, Hyun Jae

2018-04-03

We fabricated wire-type indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) using a self-formed cracked template based on a lift-off process. The electrical characteristics of wire-type IGZO TFTs could be controlled by changing the width and density of IGZO wires through varying the coating conditions of template solution or multi-stacking additional layers. The fabricated wire-type devices were applied to sensors after functionalizing the surface. The wire-type pH sensor showed a sensitivity of 45.4 mV/pH, and this value was an improved sensitivity compared with that of the film-type device (27.6 mV/pH). Similarly, when the wire-type device was used as a glucose sensor, it showed more variation in electrical characteristics than the film-type device. The improved sensing properties resulted from the large surface area of the wire-type device compared with that of the film-type device. In addition, we fabricated wire-type IGZO TFTs on flexible substrates and confirmed that such structures were very resistant to mechanical stresses at a bending radius of 10 mm.

A surface acoustic wave humidity sensor with high sensitivity based on electrospun MWCNT/Nafion nanofiber films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lei Sheng; Chen Dajing; Chen Yuquan

2011-01-01

Humidity detection has been widely used in a variety of fields. A humidity sensor with high sensitivity is reported in this paper. A surface acoustic wave resonator (SAWR) with high resonance frequency was fabricated as a basic sensitive component. Various nanotechnologies were used to improve the sensor's performance. A multi-walled carbon nanotube/Nafion (MWCNT/Nafion) composite material was prepared as humidity-sensitive films, deposited on the surface of an SAWR by the electrospinning method. The electrospun MWCNT/Nafion nanofiber films showed a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, which was profitable for improving the sensor's performance. The new nano-water-channel model of Nafion was also applied in the humidity sensing process. Compared to other research, the present sensor showed excellent sensitivity (above 400 kHz/% relative humidity (RH) in the range from 10% RH to 80% RH), good linearity (R 2 > 0.98) and a short response time (∼3 s-63%).

Distinguishing feature of metal oxide films' structural engineering for gas sensor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korotcenkov, G; Golovanov, V; Brinzari, V; Cornet, A; Morante, J; Ivanov, M

2005-01-01

The different methods of structural engineering, used for improvement of solid state gas sensors parameters are reviewed in this paper. The wide possibilities of structural engineering in optimization of gas sensing properties were demonstrated on the example of thin tin dioxide films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Pulsed Polarization-Based NOx Sensors of YSZ Films Produced by the Aerosol Deposition Method and by Screen-Printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Exner, Jörg; Albrecht, Gaby; Schönauer-Kamin, Daniela; Kita, Jaroslaw; Moos, Ralf

2017-07-26

The pulsed polarization technique on solid electrolytes is based on alternating potential pulses interrupted by self-discharge pauses. Since even small concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) in the ppm range significantly change the polarization and discharge behavior, pulsed polarization sensors are well suited to measure low amounts of NO x . In contrast to all previous investigations, planar pulsed polarization sensors were built using an electrolyte thick film and platinum interdigital electrodes on alumina substrates. Two different sensor layouts were investigated, the first with buried Pt electrodes under the electrolyte and the second one with conventional overlying Pt electrodes. Electrolyte thick films were either formed by aerosol deposition or by screen-printing, therefore exhibiting a dense or porous microstructure, respectively. For screen-printed electrolytes, the influence of the electrolyte resistance on the NO x sensing ability was investigated as well. Sensors with buried electrodes showed little to no response even at higher NO x concentrations, in good agreement with the intended sensor mechanism. Electrolyte films with overlying electrodes, however, allowed the quantitative detection of NO x . In particular, aerosol deposited electrolytes exhibited high sensitivities with a sensor output signal Δ U of 50 mV and 75 mV for 3 ppm of NO and NO₂, respectively. For screen-printed electrolytes, a clear trend indicated a decrease in sensitivity with increased electrolyte resistance.

Precisely Controlled Ultrathin Conjugated Polymer Films for Large Area Transparent Transistors and Highly Sensitive Chemical Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Khim, Dongyoon; Ryu, Gi-Seong; Park, Won-Tae; Kim, Hyunchul; Lee, Myungwon; Noh, Yong-Young

2016-04-13

A uniform ultrathin polymer film is deposited over a large area with molecularlevel precision by the simple wire-wound bar-coating method. The bar-coated ultrathin films not only exhibit high transparency of up to 90% in the visible wavelength range but also high charge carrier mobility with a high degree of percolation through the uniformly covered polymer nanofibrils. They are capable of realizing highly sensitive multigas sensors and represent the first successful report of ethylene detection using a sensor based on organic field-effect transistors. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Kirigami-based PVDF thin-film as stretchable strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Nan; Chen, Dajing; Hao, Nanjing; Huang, Shicheng; Yu, Xiaojiao; Zhang, John X. J.; Chen, Zi

Kirigami, as the sister of the origami, involves cutting of 2D sheets to form complex 3D geometries with out-of-plane patterns. Motivated by the development of the high-stretchable biomedical devices, we explore the stretchability of the kirigami-based PVDF thin film under tension. Our structural prototypes include a set of 2D geometry with kirigami-based pattern cutting on PVDF thin films. We first used paper models to generate a wide range of cutting patterns to study the deformation under compression tests, the results of which are compared with finite element simulations. We then proceeded to test different kirigami-based designs to identify geometric parameters that can tune the post-buckling response and strain distribution. Next, we fabricated and tested the PVDF thin film with kirigami pattern. Experiments showed that the PVDF film in the absence of cutting can be stretched to a limited extent and will break upon further stretching. In contrast, the kirigami-based films can be stretched up to 100% without failure. Our designs demonstrate the ability to significantly improve the strain range of the structure and sensing ability of a sensor. We envision a promising future to use this class of structural elements to develop highly stretchable materials, structures, and devices. Z.C. acknowledges the Society in Science-Branco Weiss fellowship, administered by ETH Zürich. J.X.J.Z. acknowledges the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award (1R01 OD022910-01).

Capacitive chemical sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Manginell, Ronald P; Moorman, Matthew W; Wheeler, David R

2014-05-27

A microfabricated capacitive chemical sensor can be used as an autonomous chemical sensor or as an analyte-sensitive chemical preconcentrator in a larger microanalytical system. The capacitive chemical sensor detects changes in sensing film dielectric properties, such as the dielectric constant, conductivity, or dimensionality. These changes result from the interaction of a target analyte with the sensing film. This capability provides a low-power, self-heating chemical sensor suitable for remote and unattended sensing applications. The capacitive chemical sensor also enables a smart, analyte-sensitive chemical preconcentrator. After sorption of the sample by the sensing film, the film can be rapidly heated to release the sample for further analysis. Therefore, the capacitive chemical sensor can optimize the sample collection time prior to release to enable the rapid and accurate analysis of analytes by a microanalytical system.

Piezoresistive pressure sensor using low-temperature aluminium induced crystallization of sputter-deposited amorphous silicon film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Ruchi; Chandra, Sudhir

2013-01-01

In the present work, we have investigated the piezoresistive properties of silicon films prepared by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique, followed by the aluminium induced crystallization (AIC) process. Orientation and grain size of the polysilicon films were studied by x-ray diffraction analysis and found to be in the range 30–50 nm. Annealing of the Al–Si stack on an oxidized silicon substrate was performed in air ambient at 300–550 °C, resulting in layer exchange and transformation from amorphous to polysilicon phase. Van der Pauw and Hall measurement techniques were used to investigate the sheet resistance and carrier mobility of the resulting polycrystalline silicon film. The effect of Al thickness on the sheet resistance and mobility was also studied in the present work. A piezoresistive pressure sensor was fabricated on an oxidized silicon substrate in a Wheatstone bridge configuration, comprising of four piezoresistors made of polysilicon film obtained by the AIC process. The diaphragm was formed by the bulk-micromachining of silicon substrate. The response of the pressure sensor with applied negative pressure in 10–95 kPa range was studied. The gauge factor was estimated to be 5 and 18 for differently located piezoresistors on the diaphragm. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor was measured to be ∼ 30 mV MPa −1 , when the Wheatstone bridge was biased at 1 V input voltage. (paper)

An in-situ real-time optical fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance for monitoring the growth of TiO2 thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsao, Yu-Chia; Tsai, Woo-Hu; Shih, Wen-Ching; Wu, Mu-Shiang

2013-07-23

An optical fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is proposed for monitoring the thickness of deposited nano-thin films. A side-polished multimode SPR optical fiber sensor with an 850 nm-LD is used as the transducing element for real-time monitoring of the deposited TiO2 thin films. The SPR optical fiber sensor was installed in the TiO2 sputtering system in order to measure the thickness of the deposited sample during TiO2 deposition. The SPR response declined in real-time in relation to the growth of the thickness of the TiO2 thin film. Our results show the same trend of the SPR response in real-time and in spectra taken before and after deposition. The SPR transmitted intensity changes by approximately 18.76% corresponding to 50 nm of deposited TiO2 thin film. We have shown that optical fiber sensors utilizing SPR have the potential for real-time monitoring of the SPR technology of nanometer film thickness. The compact size of the SPR fiber sensor enables it to be positioned inside the deposition chamber, and it could thus measure the film thickness directly in real-time. This technology also has potential application for monitoring the deposition of other materials. Moreover, in-situ real-time SPR optical fiber sensor technology is in inexpensive, disposable technique that has anti-interference properties, and the potential to enable on-line monitoring and monitoring of organic coatings.

Tiny optical fiber temperature sensor based on temperature-dependent refractive index of zinc telluride film

Science.gov (United States)

Bian, Qiang; Song, Zhangqi; Song, Dongyu; Zhang, Xueliang; Li, Bingsheng; Yu, Yang; Chen, Yuzhong

2018-03-01

The temperature-dependent refractive index of zinc telluride film can be used to develop a tiny, low cost and film-coated optical fiber temperature sensor. Pulse reference-based compensation technique is used to largely reduce the background noise which makes it possible to detect the minor reflectivity change of the film in different temperatures. The temperature sensitivity is 0.0034dB/° and the background noise is measured to be 0.0005dB, so the resolution can achieve 0.2°.

Study of porogen removal by atomic hydrogen generated by hot wire chemical vapor deposition for the fabrication of advanced low-k thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godavarthi, S., E-mail: srinivas@cinvestav.mx [Program of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Cinvestav-IPN (Mexico); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Ciencias Fisicas, Av. Universidad, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico); Wang, C.; Verdonck, P. [imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Matsumoto, Y.; Koudriavtsev, I. [Program of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Cinvestav-IPN (Mexico); SEES, Electrical Engineering Department, Cinvestav-IPN (Mexico); Dutt, A. [SEES, Electrical Engineering Department, Cinvestav-IPN (Mexico); Tielens, H.; Baklanov, M.R. [imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium)

2015-01-30

In order to obtain low-k dielectric films, a subtractive technique, which removes sacrificial porogens from a hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide (SiOC:H) film, has been used successfully by different groups in the past. In this paper, we report on the porogen removal from porogenated SiOC:H films, using a hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) equipment. Molecular hydrogen is dissociated into atomic hydrogen by the hot wires and these atoms may successfully remove the hydrocarbon groups from the porogenated SiOC:H films. The temperature of the HWCVD filaments proved to be a determining factor. By Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray reflectivity (XRR), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), ellipsometric porosimetry and capacitance-voltage analyses, it was possible to determine that for temperatures higher than 1700 °C, efficient porogen removal occurred. For temperatures higher than 1800 °C, the presence of OH groups was detected. The dielectric constant was the lowest, 2.28, for the samples processed at a filament temperature of 1800 °C, although porosity measurements showed higher porosity for the films deposited at the higher temperatures. XRR and SIMS analyses indicated densification and Tungsten (W) incorporation at the top few nanometers of the films.

Fabrication and characterization of chemical sensors made from nanostructured films of poly(o-ethoxyaniline) prepared with different doping acids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brugnollo, E.D. [EMBRAPA Instrumentacao Agropecuaria, CP 741, CEP 13560-970, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Instituto de Fisica de Sao Carlos, USP, CP 369, CEP 13560-970, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Paterno, L.G. [Departamento de Engenharia de Sistemas Eletronicos, EPUSP, CEP 05508-900, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: paterno@lme.usp.br; Leite, F.L. [EMBRAPA Instrumentacao Agropecuaria, CP 741, CEP 13560-970, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Instituto de Fisica de Sao Carlos, USP, CP 369, CEP 13560-970, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Fonseca, F.J. [Departamento de Engenharia de Sistemas Eletronicos, EPUSP, CEP 05508-900, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Constantino, C.J.L.; Antunes, P.A. [Departamento de Fisica, Quimica e Biologia, FCT-UNESP, CEP 19060-900, Presidente Prudente, SP (Brazil); Mattoso, L.H.C. [EMBRAPA Instrumentacao Agropecuaria, CP 741, CEP 13560-970, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil)

2008-03-31

Chemical sensors made from nanostructured films of poly(o-ethoxyaniline) POEA and poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) PSS are produced and used to detect and distinguish 4 chemicals in solution at 20 mM, including sucrose, NaCl, HCl, and caffeine. These substances are used in order to mimic the 4 basic tastes recognized by humans, namely sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, respectively. The sensors are produced by the deposition of POEA/PSS films at the top of interdigitated microelectrodes via the layer-by-layer technique, using POEA solutions containing different dopant acids. Besides the different characteristics of the POEA/PSS films investigated by UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies, and by atomic force microscopy, it is observed that their electrical response to the different chemicals in liquid media is very fast, in the order of seconds, systematical, reproducible, and extremely dependent on the type of acid used for film fabrication. The responses of the as-prepared sensors are reproducible and repetitive after many cycles of operation. Furthermore, the use of an 'electronic tongue' composed by an array of these sensors and principal component analysis as pattern recognition tool allows one to reasonably distinguish test solutions according to their chemical composition.

Skin-like pressure and strain sensors based on transparent elastic films of carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipomi, Darren J; Vosgueritchian, Michael; Tee, Benjamin C-K; Hellstrom, Sondra L; Lee, Jennifer A; Fox, Courtney H; Bao, Zhenan

2011-10-23

Transparent, elastic conductors are essential components of electronic and optoelectronic devices that facilitate human interaction and biofeedback, such as interactive electronics, implantable medical devices and robotic systems with human-like sensing capabilities. The availability of conducting thin films with these properties could lead to the development of skin-like sensors that stretch reversibly, sense pressure (not just touch), bend into hairpin turns, integrate with collapsible, stretchable and mechanically robust displays and solar cells, and also wrap around non-planar and biological surfaces such as skin and organs, without wrinkling. We report transparent, conducting spray-deposited films of single-walled carbon nanotubes that can be rendered stretchable by applying strain along each axis, and then releasing this strain. This process produces spring-like structures in the nanotubes that accommodate strains of up to 150% and demonstrate conductivities as high as 2,200 S cm(-1) in the stretched state. We also use the nanotube films as electrodes in arrays of transparent, stretchable capacitors, which behave as pressure and strain sensors.

Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on Synergistical Innerconnect Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanowires/Wrinkled Graphene Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Weijie; Liu, Nishuang; Yue, Yang; Rao, Jiangyu; Cheng, Feng; Su, Jun; Liu, Zhitian; Gao, Yihua

2018-04-01

Piezoresistive sensor is a promising pressure sensor due to its attractive advantages including uncomplicated signal collection, simple manufacture, economical and practical characteristics. Here, a flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensor based on wrinkled graphene film (WGF)/innerconnected polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanowires/interdigital electrodes is fabricated. Due to the synergistic effect between WGF and innerconnected PVA nanowires, the as-prepared pressure sensor realizes a high sensitivity of 28.34 kPa -1 . In addition, the device is able to discern lightweight rice about 22.4 mg (≈2.24 Pa) and shows excellent durability and reliability after 6000 repeated loading and unloading cycles. What is more, the device can detect subtle pulse beat and monitor various human movement behaviors in real-time. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Direct Growth of Graphene Films on 3D Grating Structural Quartz Substrates for High-Performance Pressure-Sensitive Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Xuefen; Sun, Tai; Yang, Jun; Yu, Leyong; Wei, Dacheng; Fang, Liang; Lu, Bin; Du, Chunlei; Wei, Dapeng

2016-07-06

Conformal graphene films have directly been synthesized on the surface of grating microstructured quartz substrates by a simple chemical vapor deposition process. The wonderful conformality and relatively high quality of the as-prepared graphene on the three-dimensional substrate have been verified by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectra. This conformal graphene film possesses excellent electrical and optical properties with a sheet resistance of 80% (at 550 nm), which can be attached with a flat graphene film on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate, and then could work as a pressure-sensitive sensor. This device possesses a high-pressure sensitivity of -6.524 kPa(-1) in a low-pressure range of 0-200 Pa. Meanwhile, this pressure-sensitive sensor exhibits super-reliability (≥5000 cycles) and an ultrafast response time (≤4 ms). Owing to these features, this pressure-sensitive sensor based on 3D conformal graphene is adequately introduced to test wind pressure, expressing higher accuracy and a lower background noise level than a market anemometer.

Environmental monitoring by thin film nanocomposite sensors for cultural heritage preservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Baoying; Chen, Xiaojiang; Fang, Dingyi; Perrone, Alessio; Pispas, Stergios; Vainos, Nikos A.

2010-01-01

Environmental control is a crucial issue in cultural heritage preservation as it especially relates to sensitive artwork and antique object conservation. Storage and transport of artworks and antiques are operations requiring precise control of the environment. Current technology trends lead to miniaturization of environmental sensor devices in which low power dissipation and advanced non-contact or remote monitoring methods appear to offer significant advantages. In the above context, nanocomposite materials represent innovative alternative solutions for high sensitivity temperature and relative humidity (RH) sensing. The control of both of these parameters, together with the exposure to ultraviolet radiation, is important in minimizing aging and deterioration of art and antique objects. New schemes reported here consider the classes of CN x and CoCl 2 nanocomposites. First, CN x thin films are synthesized on Si substrates by reactive pulsed laser ablation of graphite targets in N 2 atmosphere to form capacitive sensors. On the other hand, CoCl 2 polymer matrix composite films are produced by spin coating or casting of the composite polymer/CoCl 2 on planar glass substrates. These latter systems present a new class of optically interrogated photonic sensors featuring powerless sensing head and remote monitoring capabilities. The prototype devices proposed for use in art conservation and museum applications have been tested under controlled environmental conditions and their performance is seen to be comparable, and in some cases superior, to conventional monitoring solutions.

A Robust Fiber Bragg Grating Hydrogen Gas Sensor Using Platinum-Supported Silica Catalyst Film

OpenAIRE

Marina Kurohiji; Seiji Ichiriyama; Naoki Yamasaku; Shinji Okazaki; Naoya Kasai; Yusuke Maru; Tadahito Mizutani

2018-01-01

A robust fiber Bragg grating (FBG) hydrogen gas sensor for reliable multipoint-leakage monitoring has been developed. The sensing mechanism is based on shifts of center wavelength of the reflection spectra due to temperature change caused by catalytic combustion heat. The sensitive film which consists of platinum-supported silica (Pt/SiO2) catalyst film was obtained using sol-gel method. The precursor solution was composed of hexachloroplatinic acid and commercially available silica precursor...

Fabrication of Thermoelectric Sensor and Cooling Devices Based on Elaborated Bismuth-Telluride Alloy Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdellah Boulouz

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The principal motivation of this work is the development and realization of smart cooling and sensors devices based on the elaborated and characterized semiconducting thermoelectric thin film materials. For the first time, the details design of our sensor and the principal results are published. Fabrication and characterization of Bi/Sb/Te (BST semiconducting thin films have been successfully investigated. The best values of Seebeck coefficient (α(T at room temperature for Bi2Te3, and (Bi1−xSbx2Te3 with x = 0.77 are found to be −220 µV/K and +240 µV/K, respectively. Fabrication and evaluation of performance devices are reported. 2.60°C of cooling of only one Peltier module device for an optimal current of Iopt=2.50 mA is obtained. The values of temperature measured by infrared camera, by simulation, and those measured by the integrated and external thermocouple are reported. A sensitivity of the sensors of 5 mV Torr−1 mW−1 for the pressure sensor has been found with a response time of about 600 ms.

Study of robust thin film PT-1000 temperature sensors for cryogenic process control applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ramalingam, R.; Boguhn, D.; Fillinger, H.; Schlachter, S. I.; Süßer, M.

2014-01-01

In some cryogenic process measurement applications, for example, in hydrogen technology and in high temperature superconductor based generators, there is a need of robust temperature sensors. These sensors should be able to measure the large temperature range of 20 - 500 K with reasonable resolution and accuracy. Thin film PT 1000 sensors could be a choice to cover this large temperature range. Twenty one sensors selected from the same production batch were tested for their temperature sensitivity which was then compared with different batch sensors. Furthermore, the sensor's stability was studied by subjecting the sensors to repeated temperature cycles of 78-525 K. Deviations in the resistance were investigated using ice point calibration and water triple point calibration methods. Also the study of directional oriented intense static magnetic field effects up to 8 Oersted (Oe) were conducted to understand its magneto resistance behaviour in the cryogenic temperature range from 77 K - 15 K. This paper reports all investigation results in detail.

PANI-Ag-Cu Nanocomposite Thin Films Based Impedimetric Microbial Sensor for Detection of E. coli Bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huda Abdullah

2014-01-01

Full Text Available PANI-Ag-Cu nanocomposite thin films were prepared by sol-gel method and deposited on the glass substrate using spin coating technique. Polyaniline was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of nitric acid. The films were characterized using XRD, FTIR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The performance of the sensor was conducted using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to obtain the change in impedance of the sensor film before and after incubation with E. coli bacteria in water. The peaks in XRD pattern confirm the presence of Ag and Cu nanoparticles in face-centered cubic structure. FTIR analysis shows the stretching of N–H in the polyaniline structure. The absorption band from UV-Visible spectroscopy shows high peaks between 400 nm and 500 nm which indicate the presence of Ag and Cu nanoparticles, respectively. Impedance analysis indicates that the change in impedance of the films decreases with the presence of E. coli. The sensitivity on E. coli increases for the sample with high concentration of Cu.

MOFs for the Sensitive Detection of Ammonia: Deployment of fcu-MOF Thin-Films as Effective Chemical Capacitive Sensors.

KAUST Repository

Assen, Ayalew Hussen Assen; Yassine, Omar; Shekhah, Osama; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Salama, Khaled N.

2017-01-01

This work reports on the fabrication and deployment of a select metal-organic framework (MOF) thin film as an advanced chemical capacitive sensor for the sensing/detection of ammonia (NH3) at room temperature. Namely, the MOF thin film sensing layer

Nanocrystalline SnO2-TiO2 thin film deposited on base of equilateral prism as an opto-electronic humidity sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, B. C.; Verma, Nidhi; Singh, Satyendra

2012-09-01

Present paper reports the synthesis of SnO2-TiO2 nanocomposite, its characterization and performance as opto-electronic humidity sensor. Nanocrystalline SnO2-TiO2 film was deposited on the base of an equilateral prism using a photo resist spinner and the as prepared film was annealed at 200 °C for 2 h. The crystal structure of the prepared film was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Minimum crystallite size of the material was found 7 nm. Surface morphology of the film was investigated by Scanning electron microscope (SEM LEO-0430, Cambridge). SEM image shows that the film is porous. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of as synthesized material shows two exothermic peaks at about 40 and 110 °C, respectively which are due to the evaporation of chemical impurities and water. Further the prepared film was investigated through the exposure of humidity and relative humidity (%RH) was measured directly in terms of modulation in the intensity of light recorded on a digital power meter. The maximum sensitivity of sensor was found 4.14 μW/%RH, which is quite significant for sensor fabrication purposes.

Nanocrystalline Cobalt-doped SnO2 Thin Film: A Sensitive Cigarette Smoke Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patil Shriram B.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This article discusses a sensitive cigarette smoke sensor based on Cobalt doped Tin oxide (Co-SnO2 thin films deposited on glass substrate by a conventional Spray Pyrolysis technique. The Co-SnO2 thin films have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX. The XRD spectrum shows polycrystalline nature of the film with a mixed phase comprising of SnO2 and Co3O4. The SEM image depicts uniform granular morphology covering total substrate surface. The compositional analysis derived using EDAX confirmed presence of Co in addition to Sn and O in the film. Cigarette smoke sensing characteristics of the Co-SnO2 thin film have been studied under atmospheric condition at different temperatures and smoke concentration levels. The sensing parameters such as sensitivity, response time and recovery time are observed to be temperature dependent, exhibiting better results at 330 oC.

Thin film metal sensors in fusion bonded glass chips for high-pressure microfluidics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Martin; Ek, Johan; Hedman, Ludvig; Johansson, Fredrik; Sehlstedt, Viktor; Stocklassa, Jesper; Snögren, Pär; Pettersson, Victor; Larsson, Jonas; Vizuete, Olivier; Hjort, Klas; Klintberg, Lena

2017-01-01

High-pressure microfluidics offers fast analyses of thermodynamic parameters for compressed process solvents. However, microfluidic platforms handling highly compressible supercritical CO 2 are difficult to control, and on-chip sensing would offer added control of the devices. Therefore, there is a need to integrate sensors into highly pressure tolerant glass chips. In this paper, thin film Pt sensors were embedded in shallow etched trenches in a glass wafer that was bonded with another glass wafer having microfluidic channels. The devices having sensors integrated into the flow channels sustained pressures up to 220 bar, typical for the operation of supercritical CO 2 . No leakage from the devices could be found. Integrated temperature sensors were capable of measuring local decompression cooling effects and integrated calorimetric sensors measured flow velocities over the range 0.5–13.8 mm s −1 . By this, a better control of high-pressure microfluidic platforms has been achieved. (paper)

Practical Use Technique of Sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Gyu Seop

1985-11-01

This book tells of practical use technology of sensor, introducing the recent trend of sensor for electronic industry, IC temperature sensor, radiation temperature sensor of surface acoustic wave, optical fiber temperature sensor, a polyelectrolyte film humidity sensor, semiconductor pressure sensor for industrial instrumentation, silicon integration pressure sensor, thick film humidity sensor and its application, photo sensor reflection type, and color sensor. It also deals with sensor for FA, sensor for a robot and sensor for the chemical industry.

Practical Use Technique of Sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Gyu Seop

1985-11-15

This book tells of practical use technology of sensor, introducing the recent trend of sensor for electronic industry, IC temperature sensor, radiation temperature sensor of surface acoustic wave, optical fiber temperature sensor, a polyelectrolyte film humidity sensor, semiconductor pressure sensor for industrial instrumentation, silicon integration pressure sensor, thick film humidity sensor and its application, photo sensor reflection type, and color sensor. It also deals with sensor for FA, sensor for a robot and sensor for the chemical industry.

Fully integrated carbon nanotube composite thin film strain sensors on flexible substrates for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, A. R.; Lynch, J. P.; Kurata, M.; Law, K. H.

2017-09-01

Multifunctional thin film materials have opened many opportunities for novel sensing strategies for structural health monitoring. While past work has established methods of optimizing multifunctional materials to exhibit sensing properties, comparatively less work has focused on their integration into fully functional sensing systems capable of being deployed in the field. This study focuses on the advancement of a scalable fabrication process for the integration of multifunctional thin films into a fully integrated sensing system. This is achieved through the development of an optimized fabrication process that can create a broad range of sensing systems using multifunctional materials. A layer-by-layer deposited multifunctional composite consisting of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in a polyvinyl alcohol and polysodium-4-styrene sulfonate matrix are incorporated with a lithography process to produce a fully integrated sensing system deposited on a flexible substrate. To illustrate the process, a strain sensing platform consisting of a patterned SWNT-composite thin film as a strain-sensitive element within an amplified Wheatstone bridge sensing circuit is presented. Strain sensing is selected because it presents many of the design and processing challenges that are core to patterning multifunctional thin film materials into sensing systems. Strain sensors fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate are experimentally tested under cyclic loading using standard four-point bending coupons and a partial-scale steel frame assembly under lateral loading. The study reveals the material process is highly repeatable to produce fully integrated strain sensors with linearity and sensitivity exceeding 0.99 and 5 {{V}}/{ε }, respectively. The thin film strain sensors are robust and are capable of high strain measurements beyond 3000 μ {ε }.

Physical properties of SnS thin films grown by hot wall deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gremenok, V.; Ivanov, V.; Bashkirov, S.; Unuchak, D.; Lazenka, V.; Bente, K.; Tashlykov, I.; Turovets, A.

2010-01-01

Full text : Recently, considerable effort has been invested to gain a better and deeper knowledge of structural and physical properties of metal chalcogenide semiconductors because of their potential application in electrical and photonic devices. Among them, tin sulphide (SnS) has attracted attention because of band gap of 1.3 eV and an absorption coefficient greater than 10 4 cm - 1. Additionally, by using tin sulfide compounds for photovoltaic devices, the production costs are decreased, because these materials are cheap and abundant in nature. For the sythesis of SnS thin films by hot wall deposition, SnS ingots were used as the source materials synthesized from high purity elements (99.999 percent). The thin films were grown onto glass at substrate temperatures between 220 and 380 degrees Celsium. The thickness of the films was in the range of 1.0 - 2.5 μm. The crystal structure and crystalline phases of the materials were studied by XRD using a Siemens D-5000 diffractometer with CuK α (λ = 1.5418 A) radiation. In order to consider instrumental error, the samples were coated by Si powder suspended in acetone. The composition and surface morphology of thin films were investigated by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) using a CAMECA SX-100, a scanning electron microscope JEOL 6400 and an atomic force microscope (AFM, Model: NT 206), respectively. Depth profiling was performed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) using a Perkin Elmer Physical Electronics 590. The electrical resistivity was studied by van der Pauw four-probe technique using silver paste contact. The optical transmittance was carried out using a Varian Cary 50 UV - VIS spectrophotometer in the range 500 - 2000 nm. The as-grown films exhibited a composition with a Sn/S at. percent ratio of 1.06. The AES depth profiles revealed relatively uniform composition through the film thickness. The XRD analysis of the SnS films showed that they were monophase (JCPDS 39-0354), polycrystalline with

MOFs for the Sensitive Detection of Ammonia: Deployment of fcu-MOF Thin Films as Effective Chemical Capacitive Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Assen, Ayalew H; Yassine, Omar; Shekhah, Osama; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Salama, Khaled N

2017-09-22

This work reports on the fabrication and deployment of a select metal-organic framework (MOF) thin film as an advanced chemical capacitive sensor for the sensing/detection of ammonia (NH 3 ) at room temperature. Namely, the MOF thin film sensing layer consists of a rare-earth (RE) MOF (RE-fcu-MOF) deposited on a capacitive interdigitated electrode (IDE). Purposely, the chemically stable naphthalene-based RE-fcu-MOF (NDC-Y-fcu-MOF) was elected and prepared/arranged as a thin film on a prefunctionalized capacitive IDE via the solvothermal growth method. Unlike earlier realizations, the fabricated MOF-based sensor showed a notable detection sensitivity for NH 3 at concentrations down to 1 ppm, with a detection limit appraised to be around 100 ppb (at room temperature) even in the presence of humidity and/or CO 2 . Distinctly, the NDC-Y-fcu-MOF based sensor exhibited the required stability to NH 3 , in contrast to other reported MOFs, and a remarkable detection selectivity toward NH 3 vs CH 4 , NO 2 , H 2 , and C 7 H 8 . The NDC-Y-fcu-MOF based sensor exhibited excellent performance for sensing ammonia for simulated breathing system in the presence of the mixture of carbon dioxide and/or humidity (water vapor), with no major alteration in the detection signal.

The quest for highly sensitive QCM humidity sensors: the coating of CNT/MOF composite sensing films as case study

KAUST Repository

Chappanda, Karumbaiah. N.

2017-11-01

The application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a sensing layer has been attracting great interest over the last decade, due to their uniform properties in terms of high porosity and tunability, which provides a large surface area and/or centers for trapping/binding a targeted analyte. Here we report the fabrication of a highly sensitive humidity sensor that is based on composite thin films of HKUST-1 MOF and carbon nanotubes (CNT). The composite sensing films were fabricated by spin coating technique on a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) and a comparison of their shift in resonance frequencies to adsorbed water vapor (5 to 75% relative humidity) is presented. Through optimization of the CNT and HKUST-1 composition, we could demonstrate a 230% increase in sensitivity compared to plain HKUST-1 film. The optimized CNT-HKUST-1 composite thin films are stable, reliable, and have an average sensitivity of about 2.5×10−5 (Δf/f) per percent of relative humidity, which is up to ten times better than previously reported QCM-based humidity sensors. The approach presented here is facile and paves a promising path towards enhancing the sensitivity of MOF-based sensors.

Durability Evaluation of a Thin Film Sensor System With Enhanced Lead Wire Attachments on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Jih-Fen; Kiser, J. Douglas; Singh, Mrityunjay; Cuy, Mike; Blaha, Charles A.; Androjna, Drago

2000-01-01

An advanced thin film sensor system instrumented on silicon carbide (SiC) fiber reinforced SiC matrix ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMCs), was evaluated in a Mach 0.3 burner rig in order to determine its durability to monitor material/component surface temperature in harsh environments. The sensor system included thermocouples in a thin film form (5 microns thick), fine lead wires (75 microns diameter), and the bonds between these wires and the thin films. Other critical components of the overall system were the heavy, swaged lead wire cable (500 microns diameter) that contained the fine lead wires and was connected to the temperature readout, and ceramic attachments which were bonded onto the CMCs for the purpose of securing the lead wire cables, The newly developed ceramic attachment features a combination of hoops made of monolithic SiC or SiC/SiC CMC (which are joined to the test article) and high temperature ceramic cement. Two instrumented CMC panels were tested in a burner rig for a total of 40 cycles to 1150 C (2100 F). A cycle consisted of rapid heating to 1150 C (2100 F), a 5 minute hold at 1150 C (2100 F), and then cooling down to room temperature in 2 minutes. The thin film sensor systems provided repeatable temperature measurements for a maximum of 25 thermal cycles. Two of the monolithic SiC hoops debonded during the sensor fabrication process and two of the SiC/SiC CMC hoops failed during testing. The hoops filled with ceramic cement, however, showed no sign of detachment after 40 thermal cycle test. The primary failure mechanism of this sensor system was the loss of the fine lead wire-to-thin film connection, which either due to detachment of the fine lead wires from the thin film thermocouples or breakage of the fine wire.

DNA hybridization sensor based on pentacene thin film transistor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Min; Jha, Sandeep Kumar; Chand, Rohit; Lee, Dong-Hoon; Kim, Yong-Sang

2011-01-15

A DNA hybridization sensor using pentacene thin film transistors (TFTs) is an excellent candidate for disposable sensor applications due to their low-cost fabrication process and fast detection. We fabricated pentacene TFTs on glass substrate for the sensing of DNA hybridization. The ss-DNA (polyA/polyT) or ds-DNA (polyA/polyT hybrid) were immobilized directly on the surface of the pentacene, producing a dramatic change in the electrical properties of the devices. The electrical characteristics of devices were studied as a function of DNA immobilization, single-stranded vs. double-stranded DNA, DNA length and concentration. The TFT device was further tested for detection of λ-phage genomic DNA using probe hybridization. Based on these results, we propose that a "label-free" detection technique for DNA hybridization is possible through direct measurement of electrical properties of DNA-immobilized pentacene TFTs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanostructured ZrO2 Thick Film Resistors as H2-Gas Sensors Operable at Room Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. M. GARADKAR

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured ZrO2 powder was synthesized by microwave assisted sol-gel method. The material was characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. X-Ray diffraction studies confirm that a combination of tetragonal and monoclinic zirconia nanoparticles is obtained by using microwave-assisted method. The nanopowder was calcined at an optimized temperature of 400 °C for 3 h. The prepared powder had crystalline size about 25 nm. Thick films of synthesized ZrO2 powder were prepared by screen printing technique. The gas sensing performances of these films for various gases were tested. Films showed highest response to H2 (50 ppm gas at room temperature with poor responses to others (1000 ppm. The quick response and fast recovery are the main features of this sensor. The effects of microstructure, operating temperature and gas concentration on the gas response, selectivity, response time and recovery time of the sensor in the presence of H2 gas and others were studied and discussed.

Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film Coated Optical Fiber Sensors: A Novel Waveguide-Based Chemical Sensing Platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ki-Joong; Lu, Ping; Culp, Jeffrey T; Ohodnicki, Paul R

2018-02-23

Integration of optical fiber with sensitive thin films offers great potential for the realization of novel chemical sensing platforms. In this study, we present a simple design strategy and high performance of nanoporous metal-organic framework (MOF) based optical gas sensors, which enables detection of a wide range of concentrations of small molecules based upon extremely small differences in refractive indices as a function of analyte adsorption within the MOF framework. Thin and compact MOF films can be uniformly formed and tightly bound on the surface of etched optical fiber through a simple solution method which is critical for manufacturability of MOF-based sensor devices. The resulting sensors show high sensitivity/selectivity to CO 2 gas relative to other small gases (H 2 , N 2 , O 2 , and CO) with rapid (optical fiber platform which results in an amplification of inherent optical absorption present within the MOF-based sensing layer with increasing values of effective refractive index associated with adsorption of gases.

Chemically synthesized PbS Nano particulate thin films for a rapid NO2 gas sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burungale Vishal V.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Rapid NO2 gas sensor has been developed based on PbS nanoparticulate thin films synthesized by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR method at different precursor concentrations. The structural and morphological properties were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope. NO2 gas sensing properties of PbS thin films deposited at different concentrations were tested. PbS film with 0.25 M precursor concentration showed the highest sensitivity. In order to optimize the operating temperature, the sensitivity of the sensor to 50 ppm NO2 gas was measured at different operating temperatures, from 50 to 200 °C. The gas sensitivity increased with an increase in operating temperature and achieved the maximum value at 150 °C, followed by a decrease in sensitivity with further increase of the operating temperature. The sensitivity was about 35 % for 50 ppm NO2 at 150 °C with rapid response time of 6 s. T90 and T10 recovery time was 97 s at this gas concentration.

The Relation Between Alloy Chemistry and Hot-Cracking

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, A. C., Jr.; Talia, J. E.

2000-01-01

Hot cracking is a problem in welding 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy. Weld wire additives seem to reduce the problem. This study proposes a model intended to clarify the way alloying elements affect hot-cracking. The brittle temperature range of an alloy extends wherever the tensile stress required to move the meniscus of the liquid film at the grain/dendrite boundaries is less than the bulks flow stress Sigma(sub B) of the grains: 2gamma/delta alloys outgas.) If the above condition is not met, the grains deform under stress and the liquid film remains in place. Curves of 2gamma/delta and sigma(sub B) vs. temperature in the range just below the melting temperature determine the hot cracking susceptibility of an alloy. Both are zero at onset of solidification. sigma(sub B) rises as the thermal activation of the slip mechanism is reduced. 2gamma/delta rises as the film thickness delta which can be estimated from the Scheil equation, drops. But, given an embrittled alloy, whether the alloy actually cracks is determined by the strain imposed upon it in the embrittled condition. A critical strain is estimated, Epsilon(sub C) on the order of Epsilon(sub C) is approximately delta/l where L = grain size and where the the volume increment due to the strain, concentrated at the liquid film, is on the order of the liquid film volume. In the early 80's an empirical critical strain cracking envelope Epsilon(sub C)(T) was incorporated into a damage criterion to estimate the effect of welding parameters on the formation of microfissures in a superalloy with good results. These concepts, liquid film decoherence vs. grain bulk deformation and critical strain, form the key elements of a quantitative theory of hot-cracking applicable for assessing the effect of alloying elements on hot-cracking during welding.

Conformal Thin Film Packaging for SiC Sensor Circuits in Harsh Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.; Karnick, David A.; Ponchak, George E.; Zorman, Christian A.

2011-01-01

In this investigation sputtered silicon carbide annealed at 300 C for one hour is used as a conformal thin film package. A RF magnetron sputterer was used to deposit 500 nm silicon carbide films on gold metal structures on alumina wafers. To determine the reliability and resistance to immersion in harsh environments, samples were submerged in gold etchant for 24 hours, in BOE for 24 hours, and in an O2 plasma etch for one hour. The adhesion strength of the thin film was measured by a pull test before and after the chemical immersion, which indicated that the film has an adhesion strength better than 10(exp 8) N/m2; this is similar to the adhesion of the gold layer to the alumina wafer. MIM capacitors are used to determine the dielectric constant, which is dependent on the SiC anneal temperature. Finally, to demonstrate that the SiC, conformal, thin film may be used to package RF circuits and sensors, an LC resonator circuit was fabricated and tested with and without the conformal SiC thin film packaging. The results indicate that the SiC coating adds no appreciable degradation to the circuits RF performance. Index Terms Sputter, silicon carbide, MIM capacitors, LC resonators, gold etchants, BOE, O2 plasma

Fundamental study on a thin-film ae sensor for measurement of behavior of a multi-pad contact slider

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Imai, S.; Burger, G.J.; Lammerink, Theodorus S.J.; Fluitman, J.H.J.

To study the fundamental dynamic characteristics of a multi-pad slider for contact recording, we developed a thin-film piezoelectric acoustic emission array sensor on an Si-suspension with an array pattern similar to that of contact pads. Experiments showed that the sensitivity of the sensor is

Hot-film anemometer measurements in adiabatic two-phase flow through a vertical duct

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trabold, T.A.; Moore, W.E.; Morris, W.O.

1997-06-01

A hot-film anemometer (HFA) probe was used to obtain local measurements of void fraction and bubble frequency in a vertically oriented, high aspect ratio duct containing R-134a under selected adiabatic two-phase flow conditions. Data were obtained along a narrow dimension scan over the range 0.03 ≤ bar Z ≤ 0.80, where bar Z is the distance from the wall normalized with the duct spacing dimension. The void fraction profiles displayed large gradients in the near-wall regions and broad maxima near the duct centerline. The trends in the bubble frequency data generally follow those for the local void fraction data. However, the relatively large number of bubbles at higher pressure implies a larger magnitude of the interfacial area concentration, for the same cross-sectional average void fraction. For the two annular flow conditions tested, analysis of the HFA output voltage signal enabled identification of three distinct regions of the flow field; liquid film with dispersed bubbles, interfacial waves, and continuous vapor with dispersed droplets

Hot-wire substoichiometric tungsten oxide films deposited in hydrogen environment with n-type conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostis, I; Vasilopoulou, M; Giannakopoulos, K; Papadimitropoulos, G; Davazoglou, D; Michalas, L; Papaioannou, G; Konofaos, N; Iliadis, A A; Kennou, S

2012-01-01

Substoichiometric tungsten oxide nanostructured films were synthesized by a hot-wire deposition technique in hydrogen-rich environment and characterized for their structural and electrical properties. A semiconducting behaviour was identified, allowing n-type conductivity even at room temperature which is an important result since it is well known that fully stoichiometric tungsten trioxide is nearly an insulator. Current-voltage characteristics for various temperatures were measured for tungsten oxide/Si heterostructures and analysed using proper modelling. As a result, the conduction mechanism inside the films was identified and found to be of a dual nature, with variable range hopping being dominant at near room temperatures. The saturation current was found to be thermally activated and the activation energy was calculated at 0.40 eV and the grain boundaries barrier at 150 meV. From Hall measurements it was also revealed that the dominant carriers are electrons and a carrier concentration of about 10 14 cm -3 was estimated.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis of RuO_2-Ta_2O_5 thick film pH sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manjakkal, Libu; Cvejin, Katarina; Kulawik, Jan; Zaraska, Krzysztof; Socha, Robert P.; Szwagierczak, Dorota

2016-01-01

The paper reports on investigation of the pH sensing mechanism of thick film RuO_2-Ta_2O_5 sensors by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Interdigitated conductimetric pH sensors were screen printed on alumina substrates. The microstructure and elemental composition of the films were examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The XPS studies revealed the presence of Ru ions at different oxidation states and the surface hydroxylation of the sensing layer increasing with increasing pH. The EIS analysis carried out in the frequency range 10 Hz–2 MHz showed that the electrical parameters of the sensitive electrodes in the low frequency range were distinctly dependent on pH. The charge transfer and ionic exchange occurring at metal oxide-solution interface were indicated as processes responsible for the sensing mechanism of thick film RuO_2-Ta_2O_5 pH sensors. - Highlights: • Conductimetric pH sensors with RuO_2-Ta_2O_5 thick film electrodes were developed. • Microstructure and elemental composition of the films were examined by SEM and EDX. • Sensing film composition and hydroxylation were studied by XPS as a function of pH. • Electrochemical reactions at oxide-solution interface were analyzed by EIS method. • Impact of solution pH, electrode composition and sintering temperature was studied.

Identification and quality assessment of beverages using a long period grating fibre-optic sensor modified with a mesoporous thin film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergiy Korposh

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In this study, an optical fibre long period grating (LPG sensor functionalised with a mesoporous thin film was employed for the identification and quality assessment of beverages. The principle of the discrimination of beverages using an LPG sensor is based on the measurement of the change in refractive index of a sensitive film, induced by the binding of the chemical compounds present in the beverage. The sensitive film deposited onto the LPG consisted of poly(allylamine hydrochloride (PAH and silica nanospheres (SiO2 NPs with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 50 nm. PAH imparts selectivity, while the SiO2 NPs endow the film with high porosity and enhanced sensitivity. In this study, five different types of beverages, red and white wines, brandy, nihonshyu (sake, a Japanese rice wine, and shochu (a Japanese distilled beverage, prepared via distillation and fermentation, were used to assess the capability of the sensor to identify the origin of the beverages. In addition, a selection of red wines was used to evaluate the use of the sensor in the assessment of the quality of beverages. The results obtained were benchmarked against those obtained using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the determination of volatile compounds contributing to the flavours of a set of red wines. Principal component analysis (PCA was employed for data analysis. This approach enabled both quality assessment of beverages and identification of the methods and materials used for their preparation. Keywords: Long period grating, Mesoporous thin film, Layer-by-layer, Quality assessment, Beverages

Design, Modeling and Optimization of a Piezoelectric Pressure Sensor based on a Thin-Film PZT Membrane Containing Nanocrystalline Powders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vahid MOHAMMADI

2009-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper fabrication of a 0-3 ceramic/ceramic composite lead zirconate titanate, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin film has been presented and then a pressure sensor based on multilayer thin-film PZT diaphragm contain of Lead Zirconate Titanate nanocrystalline powders was designed, modeled and optimized. Dynamics characteristics of this multilayer diaphragm have been investigated by ANSYS® FE software. By this simulation the effective parameters of the multilayer PZT diaphragm for improving the performance of a pressure sensor in different ranges of pressure are optimized. The optimized thickness ratio of PZT layer to SiO2 was given in the paper to obtain the maximum deflection of the multilayer thin-film PZT diaphragm. A 0-3 ceramic/ceramic composite lead zirconate titanate, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 film has been developed to fabricate the pressure sensor by a hybrid sol gel process. PZT nanopowders fabricated via conventional sol gel method and uniformly dispersed in PZT precursor solution by an attrition mill. XRD analysis shows that perovskite structure would be formed due to the presence of a significant amount of ceramic nanopowders. This texture has a good effect on piezoelectric properties of perovskite structure. The film forms a strongly bonded network and less shrinkage occurs, so the films do not crack during process. Also the aspect ratio through this process would be increased. SEM micrographs indicated that PZT films were uniform, crack free and have a composite microstructure and a piezoelectric coefficient d31 of -40 pC.N-1 and d33 ranged from 50pm.N-1 to 60pm.N-1.

Non-aqueous electrochemical deposition of lead zirconate titanate films for flexible sensor applications

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Sherin; Kumar, A. V. Ramesh; John, Reji

2017-11-01

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is one of the most important piezoelectric materials widely used for underwater sensors. However, PZTs are hard and non-compliant and hence there is an overwhelming attention devoted toward making it flexible by preparing films on flexible substrates by different routes. In this work, the electrochemical deposition of composition controlled PZT films over flexible stainless steel (SS) foil substrates using non-aqueous electrolyte dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was carried out. Effects of various key parameters involved in electrochemical deposition process such as current density and time of deposition were studied. It was found that a current density of 25 mA/cm2 for 5 min gave a good film. The morphology and topography evaluation of the films was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively, which showed a uniform morphology with a surface roughness of 2 nm. The PZT phase formation was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and corroborated with Raman spectroscopic studies. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, hysteresis and I-V characteristics of the film was evaluated.

Micromachined sensor for stress measurement and micromechanical study of free-standing thin films for MEMS applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ping

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have a wide range of applications. In the field of wireless and microwave technology, considerable attention has been given to the development and integration of MEMS-based RF (radio frequency) components. An RF MEMS switch requires low insertion loss, high isolation, and low actuation voltage - electrical aspects that have been extensively studied. The mechanical requirements of the switch, such as low sensitivity to built-in stress and high reliability, greatly depend on the micromechanical properties of the switch materials, and have not been thoroughly explored. RF MEMS switches are typically in the form of a free-standing thin film structure. Large stress gradients and across-wafer stress variations developed during fabrication severely degrade their electrical performance. A micromachined stress measurement sensor has been developed that can potentially be employed for in-situ monitoring of stress evolution and stress variation. The sensors were micromachined using five masks on two wafer levels, each measuring 5x3x1 mm. They function by means of an electron tunneling mechanism, where a 2x2 mm silicon nitride membrane elastically deflects under an applied deflection voltage via an external feedback circuitry. For the current design, the sensors are capable of measuring tensile stresses up to the GPa range under deflection voltages of 50--100 V. Sensor functionality was studied by finite element modeling and a theoretical analysis of square membrane deflection. While the mechanical properties of thin films on substrates have been extensively studied, studies of free-standing thin films have been limited due to the practical difficulties in sample handling and testing. Free-standing Al and Al-Ti thin films specimens have been successfully fabricated and microtensile and stress relaxation tests have been performed using a custom-designed micromechanical testing apparatus. A dedicated TEM (transmission electron microscopy

Thin-film chemical sensors based on electron tunneling

Science.gov (United States)

Khanna, S. K.; Lambe, J.; Leduc, H. G.; Thakoor, A. P.

1985-01-01

The physical mechanisms underlying a novel chemical sensor based on electron tunneling in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel junctions were studied. Chemical sensors based on electron tunneling were shown to be sensitive to a variety of substances that include iodine, mercury, bismuth, ethylenedibromide, and ethylenedichloride. A sensitivity of 13 parts per billion of iodine dissolved in hexane was demonstrated. The physical mechanisms involved in the chemical sensitivity of these devices were determined to be the chemical alteration of the surface electronic structure of the top metal electrode in the MIM structure. In addition, electroreflectance spectroscopy (ERS) was studied as a complementary surface-sensitive technique. ERS was shown to be sensitive to both iodine and mercury. Electrolyte electroreflectance and solid-state MIM electroreflectance revealed qualitatively the same chemical response. A modified thin-film structure was also studied in which a chemically active layer was introduced at the top Metal-Insulator interface of the MIM devices. Cobalt phthalocyanine was used for the chemically active layer in this study. Devices modified in this way were shown to be sensitive to iodine and nitrogen dioxide. The chemical sensitivity of the modified structure was due to conductance changes in the active layer.

A membrane film sensor with encapsulated fluorescent dyes towards express freshness monitoring of packaged food.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiryukhin, Maxim V; Lau, Hooi Hong; Goh, Seok Hong; Teh, Cathleen; Korzh, Vladimir; Sadovoy, Anton

2018-05-15

A new Membrane Film Sensor (MFS) has been developed to measure pH of fluids. MFS comprises a polyelectrolyte multilayer film with uniformly distributed compartments (microchambers) where a fluorescent sensing dye is encapsulated. Fabricated film is sealed onto a polyethylene film for a future use. MFS was applied to report changes in golden pomfret fillet upon its storage at 5 °C. MFS pH readings were correlated to bacteriological analysis of fish samples. A hike in pH of fish juices happens after 10 days of storage signaling bacterial spoilage of fish. The design of developed MFS allows easy integration with transparent packaging materials for future development of "SMART" packaging sensing food freshness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Refractometry studies of the optical properties of polymer films and the development of polymer coated refractive index sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, John Edward

Sensors for real-time monitoring of environmental contaminants are essential for protecting ecosystems and human health. Refractive index sensing is a non-selective technique that can be used to measure almost any analyte. Miniaturized refractive index sensors, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microring resonators are one possible platform, but require coatings selective to the analytes of interest. A homemade prism refractometer is reported and used to characterize the interactions between polymer films and liquid or vapour-phase analytes. A camera was used to capture both Fresnel reflection and total internal reflection within the prism. For thin-films (d = 10 μm - 100 μm), interference fringes were also observed. Fourier analysis of the interferogram allowed for simultaneous extraction of the average refractive index and film thickness with accuracies of Δn = 1-7 x10-4 and Δd sensors. A mathematical model is presented, where the concentration of analyte adsorbed in a film can be calculated from the refractive index and thickness changes during uptake. This model can be used with Fickian diffusion models to measure the diffusion coefficients through the bulk film and at the film-substrate interface. The diffusion of water and other organic solvents into SU-8 epoxy was explored using refractometry and the diffusion coefficient of water into SU-8 is presented. Exposure of soft baked SU-8 films to acetone, acetonitrile and methanol resulted in rapid delamination. The diffusion of volatile organic compound (VOC) vapours into polydimethylsiloxane and polydimethyl-co-polydiphenylsiloxane polymers was also studied using refractometry. Diffusion and partition coefficients are reported for several analytes. As a model system, polydimethyl-co-diphenylsiloxane films were coated onto SOI microring resonators. After the development of data acquisition software, coated devices were exposed to VOCs and the refractive index response was assessed. More studies with other

MOFs for the Sensitive Detection of Ammonia: Deployment of fcu-MOF Thin-Films as Effective Chemical Capacitive Sensors.

KAUST Repository

Assen, Ayalew Hussen Assen

2017-08-15

This work reports on the fabrication and deployment of a select metal-organic framework (MOF) thin film as an advanced chemical capacitive sensor for the sensing/detection of ammonia (NH3) at room temperature. Namely, the MOF thin film sensing layer consists of a rare-earth (RE) MOF (RE-fcu-MOF) deposited on a capacitive interdigitated electrode (IDE). Purposely, the chemically stable naphthalene-based RE-fcu-MOF (NDC-Y-fcu-MOF) was elected and prepared/arranged as a thin film on a pre-functionalized capacitive IDE via the solvothermal growth method. Unlike earlier realizations, the fabricated MOF-based sensor showed a notable detection sensitivity for NH3 at concentrations down to 1 ppm, with a detection limit appraised to be around 100 ppb (at room temperature) even in the presence of humidity and/or CO2. Distinctly, the NDC-Y-fcu-MOF based sensor exhibited the required stability to NH3, in contract to other reported MOFs, and a remarkable detection selectivity towards NH3 vs. CH4, NO2, H2 and C7H8. The NDC-Y-fcu-MOF based sensor exhibited excellent performance for sensing ammonia for simulated breathing system in the presence of the mixture of carbon dioxide and/or humidity (water vapor), with no major alteration in the detection signal.

Selective inorganic thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, M.L.F.; Weisenbach, L.A.; Anderson, M.T. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)] [and others

1995-05-01

This project is developing inorganic thin films as membranes for gas separation applications, and as discriminating coatings for liquid-phase chemical sensors. Our goal is to synthesize these coatings with tailored porosity and surface chemistry on porous substrates and on acoustic and optical sensors. Molecular sieve films offer the possibility of performing separations involving hydrogen, air, and natural gas constituents at elevated temperatures with very high separation factors. We are focusing on improving permeability and molecular sieve properties of crystalline zeolitic membranes made by hydrothermally reacting layered multicomponent sol-gel films deposited on mesoporous substrates. We also used acoustic plate mode (APM) oscillator and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor elements as substrates for sol-gel films, and have both used these modified sensors to determine physical properties of the films and have determined the sensitivity and selectivity of these sensors to aqueous chemical species.

Engineering carbon nanomaterials for future applications: energy and bio-sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Santanu; Lahiri, Indranil; Kang, Chiwon; Choi, Wonbong

2011-06-01

This paper presents our recent results on carbon nanomaterials for applications in energy storage and bio-sensor. More specifically: (i) A novel binder-free carbon nanotubes (CNTs) structure as anode in Li-ion batteries. The interfacecontrolled CNT structure, synthesized through a two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and directly grown on copper current collector, showed very high specific capacity - almost three times as that of graphite, excellent rate capability. (ii) A large scale graphene film was grown on Cu foil by thermal chemical vapor deposition and transferred to various substrates including PET, glass and silicon by using hot press lamination and etching process. The graphene/PET film shows high quality, flexible transparent conductive structure with unique electrical-mechanical properties; ~88.80 % light transmittance and ~ 100 Ω/sq sheet resistance. We demonstrate application of graphene/PET film as flexible and transparent electrode for field emission displays. (iii) Application of individual carbon nanotube as nanoelectrode for high sensitivity electrochemical sensor and device miniaturization. An individual CNT is split into a pair of nanoelectrodes with a gap between them. Single molecular-level detection of DNA hybridization was studied. Hybridization of the probe with its complementary strand results in an appreciable change in the electrical output signal.

SnO.sub.2./sub. and SnAcAc thin film sensors created by laser

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Myslík, V.; Vysloužil, F.; Vrňata, M.; Jelínek, Miroslav; Lančok, Ján

2002-01-01

Roč. 374, - (2002), s. 285-288 ISSN 1058-725X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : laser deposition * thin films * gas sensors Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.457, year: 2002

TL and OSL studies on undoped diamond films grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soni, Anuj, E-mail: anujsoni.phy@gmail.com [Radiological Physics and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India); Choudhary, R.K. [Materials Processing Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India); Polymeris, G.S. [Ankara University, Institute of Nuclear Sciences (Turkey); Mishra, D.R. [Radiological Physics and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India); Mishra, P. [Materials Processing Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India); Kulkarni, M.S. [Radiation Safety Systems Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 (India)

2016-09-15

In this work, approximately 0.5 µm thick diamond films were grown on a silicon substrate by hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) method in a gas mixture of hydrogen and methane. The batch to batch reproducibility of the sample using this technique was found to be very good. The obtained film was characterized by micro laser Raman spectroscopy (MLRS), grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force miscroscopy (AFM) techniques. MLRS and GIXRD results confirmed the formation of diamond whereas SEM and AFM analyses indicated uniform morphology of the film with an average grain size of 200 nm. The deposited film was studied for ionizing radiation dosimetry applications using the thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques after irradiating the film by a calibrated 5 mCi, {sup 90}Sr/{sup 90}Y beta source. In the TL measurement, for a heating rate of 4 K/s, broad glow curve was obtained which was deconvoluted into seven TL peaks. The integrated TL counts were found to vary linearly with increasing the radiation dose up to 10 kGy. The characteristic TL output seen in the temperature range 200–300 °C, may be considered good for thermal stability of the film and it could also avoid TL fading during storage and non-interference of any black body radiation during the measurement. However, in comparison to TL output, the OSL response for 470 nm LED stimulation was found to be lesser. The CW–OSL decay curve has shown two components contributing to the OSL signal, having photoionization cross-section 1.5×10{sup −18} and 5.2×10{sup −19} cm{sup 2} respectively. The studies have revealed the possibility of using diamond film for high dose radiation dosimetry with TL/OSL method.

The versatility of hot-filament activated chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, Lothar; Hoefer, Markus; Kroeger, Roland

2006-01-01

In the field of activated chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond films, hot-filament activation (HF-CVD) is widely used for applications where large deposition areas are needed or three-dimensional substrates have to be coated. We have developed processes for the deposition of conductive, boron-doped diamond films as well as for tribological crystalline diamond coatings on deposition areas up to 50 cm x 100 cm. Such multi-filament processes are used to produce diamond electrodes for advanced electrochemical processes or large batches of diamond-coated tools and parts, respectively. These processes demonstrate the high degree of uniformity and reproducibility of hot-filament CVD. The usability of hot-filament CVD for diamond deposition on three-dimensional substrates is well known for CVD diamond shaft tools. We also develop interior diamond coatings for drawing dies, nozzles, and thread guides. Hot-filament CVD also enables the deposition of diamond film modifications with tailored properties. In order to adjust the surface topography to specific applications, we apply processes for smooth, fine-grained or textured diamond films for cutting tools and tribological applications. Rough diamond is employed for grinding applications. Multilayers of fine-grained and coarse-grained diamond have been developed, showing increased shock resistance due to reduced crack propagation. Hot-filament CVD is also used for in situ deposition of carbide coatings and diamond-carbide composites, and the deposition of non-diamond, silicon-based films. These coatings are suitable as diffusion barriers and are also applied for adhesion and stress engineering and for semiconductor applications, respectively

Human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption onto a-SiC:H thin films deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swain, Bibhu P.

2006-01-01

In the present paper, we report the study of the adsorption behavior of human serum albumin (HSA) onto surfaces of a-SiC:H thin films deposited by using the hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique. The surface composition and surface energy of the various substrates as well as the evaluation of the adsorbed amount of protein has been carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, AFM and contact angle measurements. At the immediate effect of HSA interaction with a-SiC:H films N is adsorbed on the surface and stabilized after 3 days. Preliminary observation found that Si and O atom are desorbed from the surface while C and N set adsorbed to the surface of the a-SiC:H film

Human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption onto a-SiC:H thin films deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swain, Bibhu P. [Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (India) and Samtel Centre for Display Technologies, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India, Kanpur 208016 (India)]. E-mail: bibhup@iitb.ac.in

2006-12-15

In the present paper, we report the study of the adsorption behavior of human serum albumin (HSA) onto surfaces of a-SiC:H thin films deposited by using the hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique. The surface composition and surface energy of the various substrates as well as the evaluation of the adsorbed amount of protein has been carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, AFM and contact angle measurements. At the immediate effect of HSA interaction with a-SiC:H films N is adsorbed on the surface and stabilized after 3 days. Preliminary observation found that Si and O atom are desorbed from the surface while C and N set adsorbed to the surface of the a-SiC:H film.

Red electroluminescent process excited by hot holes in SrGa2S4:Ce, Mn thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Katsu; Okamoto, Shinji

2009-01-01

This paper reports the first observation of red electroluminescence (EL) in SrGa 2 S 4 :Ce, Mn thin film. The EL spectrum consists of single broad emission band having a peak wavelength of 665 nm. The dominant EL decay time was 31 μs. The relationship between the applied voltage and the EL waveform was measured in single insulating thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) devices. An asymmetric EL waveform was observed in SrGa 2 S 4 :Ce, Mn TFEL devices under a rectangular applied voltage. The polarity of the EL waveform in these devices was different from the waveform in manganese-activated zinc sulfide ZnS:Mn devices. This indicates that hot holes excite the Mn 2+ ions to cause the red EL.

Effect of pulse biasing on the morphology of diamond films grown by hot filament CVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beake, B.D.; Hussain, I.U.; Rego, C.; Ahmed, W.

1999-01-01

There has been considerable interest in the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of diamond due to its unique mechanical, optical and electronic properties, which make it useful for many applications. For use in optical and electronic applications further developments in the CVD process are required to control the surface morphology and crystal size of the diamond films. These will require a detailed understanding of both the nucleation and growth processes that effect the properties. The technique of bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) of diamond offers better reproducibility than conventional pre-treatment methods such as mechanical abrasion. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used study the surface modification of diamond films on silicon substrates during pulse biased growth in a hot filament CVD reactor. Pre-abraded silicon substrates were subjected to a three-step sequential growth process: (i) diamond deposition under standard CVD conditions, (ii) bias pre-treatment and (iii) deposition under standard conditions. The results show that the bias pre-treatment time is a critical parameter controlling the surface morphology and roughness of the diamond films deposited. Biasing reduces the surface roughness from 152 nm for standard CVD diamond to 68 nm for the 2.5 minutes pulse biased film. Further increase in the bias time results in an increase in surface roughness and crystallite size. (author)

Hot ductility of medium carbon steel with vanadium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chang-Hoon; Park, Jun-Young; Chung, JunHo; Park, Dae-Bum; Jang, Jin-Young; Huh, Sungyul; Ju Kim, Sung; Kang, Jun-Yun; Moon, Joonoh; Lee, Tae-Ho

2016-01-01

Hot ductility of medium carbon steel containing 0.52 wt% of carbon and 0.11 wt% of vanadium was investigated using a hot tensile test performed up to fracture. The hot ductility was evaluated by measuring the reduction of area of the fractured specimens, which were strained at a variety of test temperatures in a range of 600–1100 °C at a strain rate of 2×10"−"3/s. The hot ductility was excellent in a temperature range of 950–1100 °C, followed by a decrease of the hot ductility below 950 °C. The hot ductility continued to drop as the temperature was lowered to 600 °C. The loss of hot ductility in a temperature range of 800–950 °C, which is above the Ae_3 temperature, was due to V(C,N) precipitation at austenite grain boundaries. The further decline of hot ductility between 700 °C and 750 °C resulted from the transformation of ferrite films decorating austenite grain boundaries. The hot ductility continued to decrease at 650 °C or less, owing to ferrite films and the pearlite matrix, which is harder than ferrite. The pearlite was transformed from austenite due to relatively high carbon content.

Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT NO2 Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui You

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT sensor was designed and fabricated for NO2 detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y2O3-doped ZrO2 (YSZ ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor’s sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO2 sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

Effect of initialization time on application potentiality of a ZnO thin film based LPG sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parta Mitra

2009-09-01

Full Text Available A prototype electronic LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas sensor based on zinc oxide (ZnO film has been fabricated. The objective of the present work was to investigate the importance of initialization time (also called warm-up time on the application potentiality of the ZnO based alarm. The role of sensor geometry on initialization time is presented. The electronic circuitry of the prototype LPG device alarm is discussed. It is shown that that the initialization time depends on the switch off time (or the time for which the sensor was kept idle. The resistive mode sensors can be fixed at 40% LEL (Lower Explosive Limit of LPG for safe operation.

'Hot particle' intercomparison dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaurin, D.G.L.; Baum, J.W.; Charles, M.W.; Darley, D.P.J.; Durham, J.S.; Scannell, M.J.; Soares, C.G.

1996-01-01

Dosimetry measurements of four 'hot particles' were made at different density thickness values using five different methods. The hot particles had maximum dimensions of 650 μm and maximum beta energies of 0.97, 046, 0.36, and 0.32 MeV. Absorbers were used to obtain the dose at different depths for each dosimeter. Measurements were made using exoelectron dosimeters, an extrapolation chamber, NE Extremity Tape Dosimeters (tm), Eberline RO-2 and RO-2A survey meters, and two sets of GafChromic (tm) dye film with each set read out at a different institution. From these results the dose was calculated averaged over 1 cm 2 of tissue at 18, 70, 125, and 400 μm depth. Comparisons of tissue-dose averaged over 1 cm 2 for 18, 70, and 125 μm depth based on interpolated measured values, were within 30% for the GafChromic (tm) dye film, extrapolation chamber, NE Extremity Tape Dosimeters (tm), and Eberline RO-2 and 2A (tm) survey meters except for the hot particle with 0.46 MeV maximum beta energy. The results for this source showed differences of up to 60%. The extrapolation chamber and NE Extremity Tape dosimeters under-responded for measurements at 400 μm by about a factor of 2 compared with the GafChromic dye films for two hot particles with maximum beta energy of 0.32 and 0.36 MeV which each emitted two 100% 1 MeV photons per disintegration. Tissue doses determined using exoelectron dosimeters were a factor of 2 to 5 less than those determined using other dosimeters, possibly due to failures of the equipment. (author)

Analysis of the fragmentation of hot drops with film boiling in a water flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malmazet, Erik de

2009-01-01

The goal of this work is to study different aspects of the fragmentation of very hot drops placed in a uniform flow, a phenomenon related to vapor explosion studies. First, a theoretical study of the isothermal hydrodynamic fragmentation of drops by the Boundary Layer Stripping (BLS) mechanism is done by developing two models. The first model, contrary to past studies which dismissed the BLS, includes deformation and acceleration effects and this is shown to greatly enhance the mass loss by BLS, which enables this mechanism to become a much more effective mechanism when the external flow is gaseous. But it is still ineffective in the liquid case. The second model describes transient aspects of the BLS, and by coupling it with a stripping criteria for the internal boundary layer, it is possible to predict the time of the initiation of fragmentation. Then, a model for film boiling over horizontal cylinders and axisymmetric bodies which is able to properly describe the inertial and convection terms in the vapor flow is presented. This has never been done before, although these terms cannot be neglected in physical conditions close to vapor explosions. The model is able to predict all the experimental results of TREPAM, the only existing forced convection film boiling experiment in conditions close to a vapor explosion, and which results could not be predicted by other models. In the last part, an experimental study of the fragmentation of hot tin drops in a water flow which uses digital fast camera and flash X ray imagery is presented. This study has allowed the observation of several new features of the drop fragmentation mechanism. (author) [fr

Determination of the calibration characteristic of cylindrical hot-film probes in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulmanu, D.; Weinberg, D.

1976-01-01

On measurement with hot-film probes in industrial water circuits one has to account for temperature fluctuations of the water during the duration of the experiment. In contrast with measurements in air the material data of water already change, and among them especially viscosity, at very small temperature variations. This occurs for water most markedly at room temperature, i.e. in the normal range for water. In the range from 20 0 C to 40 0 C the kinematical viscosity for water varies by a factor of four as compared with air. Variations of 1 0 C in water temperature in this range means an error of 1.0 per cent in velocity. For measurements in water it therefore is necessary to know the calibration characteristic of the probes. (orig./TK) [de

A flexible angle sensor made from MWNT/CuO/Cu{sub 2}O nanocomposite films deposited by an electrophoretic co-deposition process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toboonsung, Buppachat, E-mail: buppachattt@yahoo.co.th [Physics and General Science Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Singjai, Pisith, E-mail: singjai@hotmail.com [Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Materials Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 (Thailand)

2012-08-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MWNT/CuO/Cu{sub 2}Onanocomposite films were coated on a PET sheet. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The film resistance and application as angle sensor were investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thesensor showed a linear relation between the film resistance and the bending angle. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A minimum loop area and a high stability in sensitivity over a thousand bending cycles were obtained. - Abstract: A flexible angle sensor was prepared using an electrophoretic co-deposition process to form nanocomposite networks of multi-wall carbon nanotube/cupric oxide/cuprous oxide (MWNT/CuO/Cu{sub 2}O) on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet. The deposition method used copper and stainless steel electrodes, and the effects of varying of electrode separation, MWNT concentration in deionized water, voltage and deposition time were studied. The film resistance of the as-deposited samples decreased with increasing the MWNT concentration up to 0.3 mg/ml. The angle sensor showed a linear relation between the film resistance and the bending angle, a relationship that was illustrated with loop area and sensitivity data. The best angle sensor was successfully made with an electrode separation of 8 mm, a concentration of 0.3 mg/ml, a voltage of 10 V and a deposition time of 3 h, parameters that resulted in a minimum loop area and the most stability in sensitivity over a thousand bending cycles.

Effect of Various Catalysts on the Stability of Characteristics of Acetone Sensors Based on Thin Nanocrystalline SnO2 Films

Science.gov (United States)

Sevastyanov, E. Yu.; Maksimova, N. K.; Potekaev, A. I.; Khludkova, L. S.; Chernikov, E. V.; Davydova, T. A.

2018-02-01

The results of studies of electrical and gas sensitive characteristics of acetone sensors based on thin nanocrystalline SnO2 films with various catalysts deposited on the surface (Pt/Pd, Au) and introduced into the volume (Au, Ni, Co) are presented. Films containing impurities of gold and 3d-metals were obtained by the method of magnetron sputtering of mosaic targets. Particular attention was paid to the influence of the longterm tests and humidity level on the properties of sensors. It is shown that the sensors with the deposited dispersed gold layers with Au+Ni and, especially, Au+Co additives introduced into the volume are characterized by the increased stability in the process of testing under prolonged exposure to acetone and also under conditions of varying humidity.

Functionalized polypyrrole film: synthesis, characterization, and potential applications in chemical and biological sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Hua; Cao, Xiaodong; Li, Chang Ming

2009-07-01

In this paper, we report the synthesis of a carboxyl-functionalized polypyrrole derivative, a poly(pyrrole-N-propanoic acid) (PPPA) film, by electrochemical polymerization, and the investigation of its basic properties via traditional characterization techniques such as confocal-Raman, FTIR, SEM, AFM, UV-vis, fluorescence microscopy, and contact-angle measurements. The experimental data show that the as-prepared PPPA film exhibits a hydrophilic nanoporous structure, abundant -COOH functional groups in the polymer backbone, and high fluorescent emission under laser excitation. On the basis of these unique properties, further experiments were conducted to demonstrate three potential applications of the PPPA film in chemical and biological sensors: a permeable and permselective membrane, a membrane with specific recognition sites for biomolecule immobilization, and a fluorescent conjugated polymer for amplification of fluorescence quenching. Specifically, the permeability and permselectivity of ion species through the PPPA film are detected by means of rotating-disk-electrode voltammetry; the specific recognition sites on the film surface are confirmed with protein immobilization, and the amplification of fluorescence quenching is measured by the addition of a quenching agent with fluorescence microscopy. The results are in good agreement with our expectations.

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin

2014-01-01

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-15

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Rational Design of QCM-D Virtual Sensor Arrays Based on Film Thickness, Viscoelasticity, and Harmonics for Vapor Discrimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Speller, Nicholas C; Siraj, Noureen; Regmi, Bishnu P; Marzoughi, Hassan; Neal, Courtney; Warner, Isiah M

2015-01-01

Herein, we demonstrate an alternative strategy for creating QCM-based sensor arrays by use of a single sensor to provide multiple responses per analyte. The sensor, which simulates a virtual sensor array (VSA), was developed by depositing a thin film of ionic liquid, either 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([OMIm][Br]) or 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ([OMIm][SCN]), onto the surface of a QCM-D transducer. The sensor was exposed to 18 different organic vapors (alcohols, hydrocarbons, chlorohydrocarbons, nitriles) belonging to the same or different homologous series. The resulting frequency shifts (Δf) were measured at multiple harmonics and evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) which revealed that analytes can be classified with extremely high accuracy. In almost all cases, the accuracy for identification of a member of the same class, that is, intraclass discrimination, was 100% as determined by use of quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA). Impressively, some VSAs allowed classification of all 18 analytes tested with nearly 100% accuracy. Such results underscore the importance of utilizing lesser exploited properties that influence signal transduction. Overall, these results demonstrate excellent potential of the virtual sensor array strategy for detection and discrimination of vapor phase analytes utilizing the QCM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on QCM VSAs, as well as an experimental sensor array, that is based primarily on viscoelasticity, film thickness, and harmonics.

Nanocomposite copolymer thin-film sensor for detection of escherichia coli

Science.gov (United States)

Mathur, Prafull; Misra, S. C. K.; Yadav, Maneesha; Bawa, S. S.; Gupta, A. K.

2006-01-01

The majority of human diseases associated with microbial contaminated water are infectious in nature and the associated pathogen includes bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa. Water contaminated with bacteria can cause a number of food-borne and water-borne diseases. The waterborne transmission is highly effective means of spreading infectious agents to a large portion of population; this includes water and milk too. Waterborne infections are recognized as resulting either from ingestion of contaminated water or ice, food items, which have, came into contact with microbial contaminated water (occurring through bathing and recreational activities) etc. The detection of E. coli in food and water is normally carried out by culturing methods, which normally take 3-6 days, These methods are complicated and time-consuming in spite of their correctness, and cannot easily meet inspection demands on E. coli. Hence, an establishment of rapid detection methods for E. coli is strongly required. We have developed highly sensitive and cost effective solid sate sensors prepared from vacuum evaporated thin films of nanocomposite copolymer detection of presence of E. coli vapors in the air within 20 seconds. These sensors operate at room temperature. The preparation, optical, electrical, and structural characterization and behavioral acceptance test on the microorganism sensing properties of these sensors are reported here.

A non-contact high resolution piezoelectric film based sensor for monitoring breathing during sleep

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Robert; Nakano, Katsuya; Fujita, Kento; Misaki, Shinya; Fujii, Hiroyuki; Misaki, Yukinori

2017-07-01

Currently, research for measuring human breathing during sleep is actively being conducted into using technologies that include piezoelectric, ultrasonic, microwave and infrared rays. But various problems have led to not many practical applications. As such, it was decided to develop a PVDF (PolyVinylidene DiFluoride) based non-contact high resolution sensor for monitoring a subject's breathing as they sleep. Development of the high resolution respiration sensor was possible through the use of PVDF piezoelectric film and the development of a new sensor configuration. Although there was already an existing respiration sensor research resulting product available, is weak signal strength made it very sensitive to noise and difficult to measure respiration accurately. As such, complicated circuits and signal processing were needed. A new high resolution breathing sensor was developed with greater signal strength and with just the use of some simple circuits and signal processing, was able to accurately measure subject breathing. Also due to the greater signal strength, it became possible to measure both heart rate and respiration rate simultaneously.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Ammonia Gas Sensor Based on PANI-PVA Blend Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. B. DUPARE

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The polyaniline - polyvinyl alcohol blend films were synthesized by oxidative polymerization using chemical synthesis route. The polyaniline films were synthesized using optimized concentration of monomer aniline, hydrochloric acid as a dopant using ammonium peroxy-disulphate as a oxidant and insulating addative matrix polyvinyl alcohol on glass substrate for development of ammonia sensor. The formation of PANI- PVA blend films show good uniform surface morphology at 10ºc temperature, maintained at constant temperature bath. The synthesized PANI-PVA blend thin films were characterized by analyzing UV-Visible and FTIR spectra. The SEM study ensures that the thin films are uniform and porous in nature. The I-V characterization shows ohmic behaviour and also determines conductivity of the films. The response time of PANI-PVA blend thin films show that excellent behavior for 50-800 ppm and higher range of ammonia gas. This study reveals that PANI-PVA blend thin films provide a polymer matrix with very good mechanical strength, environmental stability, uniformity in surface, porous morphology and high conductivity, which are suitable for ammonia gas sensing.

Relative Humidity Sensor Based on No-Core Fiber Coated by Agarose-Gel Film

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Wei Xu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available A relative humidity (RH sensor based on single-mode–no-core–single-mode fiber (SNCS structure is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The agarose gel is coated on the no-core fiber (NCF as the cladding, and multimode interference (MMI occurs in the SNCS structure. The transmission spectrum of the sensor is modulated at different ambient relative humidities due to the tunable refractive index property of the agarose gel film. The relative humidity can be measured by the wavelength shift and intensity variation of the dip in the transmission spectra. The humidity response of the sensors, coated with different concentrations and coating numbers of the agarose solution, were experimentally investigated. The wavelength and intensity sensitivity is obtained as −149 pm/%RH and −0.075 dB/%RH in the range of 30% RH to 75% RH, respectively. The rise and fall time is tested to be 4.8 s and 7.1 s, respectively. The proposed sensor has a great potential in real-time RH monitoring.

Electrical conduction studies of hot wall deposited CdSe{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muthukumarasamy, N. [Department of Physics, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 641014 (India); Balasundaraprabhu, R.; Jayakumar, S.; Kannan, M.D. [Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore (India)

2008-08-15

CdSe{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} thin films of different compositions have been deposited on cleaned glass substrates using the hot wall deposition technique under conditions very close to thermodynamical equilibrium with minimum loss of material. The electrical conductivity of the deposited films has been studied as a function of temperature. All the films showed a transition from phonon-assisted hopping conduction through the impurity band to grain-boundary-limited conduction in the conduction/valence band at temperature around 325 K. The conductivity has been found to vary with composition; it varied from 0.0027 to 0.0198 {omega}{sup -1} cm{sup -1} when x changed from 0 to 1. The activation energies of the films of different compositions determined at 225 and 400 K have been observed to lie in the range 0.0031-0.0098 and 0.0285-0.0750 eV, respectively. The Hall-effect studies carried out on the deposited films revealed that the nature of conductivity (p or n-type) was dependent on film composition; films with composition x=0 and 0.15 have been found to be p-type and the ones with composition x=0.4, 0.6, 0.7, 0.85 and 1 have been observed to exhibit n-type conductivity. The carrier concentration has been determined and is of the order of 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3}. The majority of carrier mobilities of the films have been observed to vary from 0.032 to 0.183 cm{sup 2} V{sup -1} s{sup -1} depending on film composition. The study of the mobility of the charge carriers with temperature in the range of 300-450 K showed that the mobility increased with 3/2 power of temperature indicating that the type of scattering mechanism in the studied temperature range is the ionized impurity scattering mechanism. (author)

Imprinted electrochemical sensor for dopamine recognition and determination based on a carbon nanotube/polypyrrole film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kan Xianwen; Zhou Hong; Li Chen; Zhu Anhong; Xing Zonglan; Zhao Zhe

2012-01-01

An electrochemical sensor combining a molecular imprinted technique and an electropolymerization method was developed in this work. A molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) film was fabricated by electropolymerizing pyrrole in the presence of dopamine (DA) after electrodepositing carboxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs-COOH) onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to characterize the constructed sensor. The effects of pH, the monomer concentration, the number of cycles for the electropolymerization, and the scan rate for the sensor preparation were optimized. The MIP-based sensor displayed an excellent recognition capacity toward DA compared with other structurally similar molecules. Additionally, the DPV peak current was linear to the DA concentration in the range from 6.25 × 10 −7 to 1 × 10 −4 mol/L, with a detection limit of 6 × 10 −8 mol/L. The prepared sensor also showed stable reproducibility and regeneration capacity.

MEMS Flow Sensors Based on Self-Heated aGe-Thermistors in a Wheatstone Bridge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almir Talic

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A thermal flow transduction method combining the advantages of calorimetric and hot-film transduction principles is developed and analyzed by Finite Element Method (FEM simulations and confirmed experimentally. The analyses include electrothermal feedback effects of current driven NTC thermistors. Four thin-film germanium thermistors acting simultaneously as heat sources and as temperature sensors are embedded in a micromachined silicon-nitride membrane. These devices form a self-heated Wheatstone bridge that is unbalanced by convective cooling. The voltage across the bridge and the total dissipated power are exploited as output quantities. The used thin-film thermistors feature an extremely high temperature sensitivity. Combined with properly designed resistance values, a power demand in sub-1mW range enables efficient gas-flow transduction, as confirmed by measurements. Two sensor configurations with different arrangements of the membrane thermistors were examined experimentally. Moreover, we investigated the influence of different layouts on the rise time, the sensitivity, and the usable flow range by means of two-dimensional finite element simulations. The simulation results are in reasonable agreement with corresponding measurement data confirming the basic assumptions and modeling approach.

Measurement of Young’s modulus and volumetric mass density/thickness of ultrathin films utilizing resonant based mass sensors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Stachiv, Ivo; Vokoun, David; Jeng, Y.-R.

2014-01-01

Roč. 104, č. 8 (2014), "083102-1"-"083102-4" ISSN 0003-6951 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP107/12/0800 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : functional films * mass sensor * resonant frequency Subject RIV: JB - Sensors, Measurment, Regulation Impact factor: 3.302, year: 2014 http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/104/8/10.1063/1.4866417

Nanoparticle Thin Films for Gas Sensors Prepared by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Rella

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE technique has been used for the deposition of metal dioxide (TiO2, SnO2 nanoparticle thin films for gas sensor applications. For this purpose, colloidal metal dioxide nanoparticles were diluted in volatile solvents, the solution was frozen at the liquid nitrogen temperature and irradiated with a pulsed excimer laser. The dioxide nanoparticles were deposited on Si and Al2O3 substrates. A rather uniform distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles with an average size of about 10 nm and of SnO2 nanoparticles with an average size of about 3 nm was obtained, as demonstrated by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM-FEG inspections. Gas-sensing devices based on the resistive transduction mechanism were fabricated by depositing the nanoparticle thin films onto suitable rough alumina substrates equipped with interdigitated electrical contacts and heating elements. Electrical characterization measurements were carried out in controlled environment. The results of the gas-sensing tests towards low concentrations of ethanol and acetone vapors are reported. Typical gas sensor parameters (gas responses, response/recovery time, sensitivity, and low detection limit towards ethanol and acetone are presented.

Nanoparticle thin films for gas sensors prepared by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Caricato, Anna Paola; Luches, Armando; Rella, Roberto

2009-01-01

The matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique has been used for the deposition of metal dioxide (TiO(2), SnO(2)) nanoparticle thin films for gas sensor applications. For this purpose, colloidal metal dioxide nanoparticles were diluted in volatile solvents, the solution was frozen at the liquid nitrogen temperature and irradiated with a pulsed excimer laser. The dioxide nanoparticles were deposited on Si and Al(2)O(3) substrates. A rather uniform distribution of TiO(2) nanoparticles with an average size of about 10 nm and of SnO(2) nanoparticles with an average size of about 3 nm was obtained, as demonstrated by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM-FEG) inspections. Gas-sensing devices based on the resistive transduction mechanism were fabricated by depositing the nanoparticle thin films onto suitable rough alumina substrates equipped with interdigitated electrical contacts and heating elements. Electrical characterization measurements were carried out in controlled environment. The results of the gas-sensing tests towards low concentrations of ethanol and acetone vapors are reported. Typical gas sensor parameters (gas responses, response/recovery time, sensitivity, and low detection limit) towards ethanol and acetone are presented.

A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zu-Yin; Wang Li-Na; Hu Hai-Feng; Li Kang-Wen; Ma Xun-Peng; Song Guo-Feng

2013-01-01

We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of a localized surface plasmon (LSP) sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Fabrication of a gas sensor array with micro-wells for VOCs gas sensing based on polymer/carbon nanotube thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Guangzhong; Xie, Tao; Zhu, Tao; Jiang, Yadong; Tai, Huiling

2014-08-01

In this paper, gas sensor array with micro-well was designed and prepared by Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. The micro-well and interdigital electrodes of sensor array were prepared using photolithography process, reactive ion etching (RIE) process, wet etching and conventional vacuum evaporation. In the manufacture process of the gas sensor array, KOH wet etching process was mainly discussed. The optimum etching processing parameters were as follows: 30 wt% KOH solution at 80 °C, a cooling back-flow device and a magnetic stirrer. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-polyethyleneoxide (PEO) and MWNTs-Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) composite films were utilized as sensitive layers to test gas-sensing properties. Response performances of MWCNTs- PEO and MWNTs-PVP composite films to toluene vapor and methanol vapor at room temperature were investigated. The results revealed that the sensor array showed a larger sensitivity to toluene vapor than to methanol vapor. In addition, the sensing mechanisms were studied as well.

Angular response of hot wire probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Mare, L; Jelly, T O; Day, I J

2017-01-01

A new equation for the convective heat loss from the sensor of a hot-wire probe is derived which accounts for both the potential and the viscous parts of the flow past the prongs. The convective heat loss from the sensor is related to the far-field velocity by an expression containing a term representing the potential flow around the prongs, and a term representing their viscous effect. This latter term is absent in the response equations available in the literature but is essential in representing some features of the observed response of miniature hot-wire probes. The response equation contains only four parameters but it can reproduce, with great accuracy, the behaviour of commonly used single-wire probes. The response equation simplifies the calibration the angular response of rotated slanted hot-wire probes: only standard King’s law parameters and a Reynolds-dependent drag coefficient need to be determined. (paper)

Study of a QCM Dimethyl Methylphosphonate Sensor Based on a ZnO-Modified Nanowire-Structured Manganese Dioxide Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang Li

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Sensitive, selective and fast detection of chemical warfare agents is necessary for anti-terrorism purposes. In our search for functional materials sensitive to dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP, a simulant of sarin and other toxic organophosphorus compounds, we found that zinc oxide (ZnO modification potentially enhances the absorption of DMMP on a manganese dioxide (MnO2 surface. The adsorption behavior of DMMP was evaluated through the detection of tiny organophosphonate compounds with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM sensors coated with ZnO-modified MnO2 nanofibers and pure MnO2 nanofibers. Experimental results indicated that the QCM sensor coated with ZnO-modified nanostructured MnO2 film exhibited much higher sensitivity and better selectivity in comparison with the one coated with pure MnO2 nanofiber film. Therefore, the DMMP sensor developed with this composite nanostructured material should possess excellent selectivity and reasonable sensitivity towards the tiny gaseous DMMP species.

Chemical surface treatment with toluene to enhance sensitivity of NO2 gas sensors based on CuPcTs/Alq3 thin films

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Mahdi H. Suhail

2017-09-01

Full Text Available A nitrogen dioxide (NO2 gas sensor based on the blend of copper phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium/tris-(8-hydroxyquinolinealuminum (CuPcTs/Alq3 thin films was fabricated. The effect of chemical surface treatment with toluene on the structural, surface morphology and device sensitivity has been examined. The X-ray diffraction (XRD patterns of as-deposited and toluene-treated films exhibit a broad hump peak at 2θ = 24°. The atomic force microscopy (AFM measurements show that the average particle diameter decreases with immersing time. The needle like shapes can be seen from scanning electron microscopy (SEM images for films treated with toluene for an immersing time of 60 min. Gas sensor characterizations demonstrate that all samples have superior NO2 gas sensitivity at a operating temperature of 373 K. The increase of the sensor sensitivity with increasing chemical treatment time up to 60 min was observed. All films show the stable and repeatable response patterns.

A Micro Oxygen Sensor Based on a Nano Sol-Gel TiO2 Thin Film

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Hairong Wang

2014-09-01

Full Text Available An oxygen gas microsensor based on nanostructured sol-gel TiO2 thin films with a buried Pd layer was developed on a silicon substrate. The nanostructured titania thin films for O2 sensors were prepared by the sol-gel process and became anatase after heat treatment. A sandwich TiO2 square board with an area of 350 μm × 350 μm was defined by both wet etching and dry etching processes and the wet one was applied in the final process due to its advantages of easy control for the final structure. A pair of 150 nm Pt micro interdigitated electrodes with 50 nm Ti buffer layer was fabricated on the board by a lift-off process. The sensor chip was tested in a furnace with changing the O2 concentration from 1.0% to 20% by monitoring its electrical resistance. Results showed that after several testing cycles the sensor’s output becomes stable, and its sensitivity is 0.054 with deviation 2.65 × 10−4 and hysteresis is 8.5%. Due to its simple fabrication process, the sensor has potential for application in environmental monitoring, where lower power consumption and small size are required.

The Effect of Annealing on Nanothick Indium Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Films for Touch Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shih-Hao Chan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to discuss the sheet resistance of ultrathin indium tin oxide (ITO transparent conductive films during the postannealing treatment. The thickness of the ultrathin ITO films is 20 nm. They are prepared on B270 glass substrates at room temperature by a direct-current pulsed magnetron sputtering system. Ultrathin ITO films with high sheet resistance are commonly used for touch panel applications. As the annealing temperature is increased, the structure of the ultrathin ITO film changes from amorphous to polycrystalline. The crystalline of ultrathin ITO films becomes stronger with an increase of annealing temperature, which further leads to the effect of enhanced Hall mobility. A postannealing treatment in an atmosphere can enhance the optical transmittance owing to the filling of oxygen vacancies, but the sheet resistance rises sharply. However, a higher annealing temperature, above 250°C, results in a decrease in the sheet resistance of ultrathin ITO films, because more Sn ions become an effective dopant. An optimum sheet resistance of 336 Ω/sqr was obtained for ultrathin ITO films at 400°C with an average optical transmittance of 86.8% for touch sensor applications.

Transfer of microstructure pattern of CNTs onto flexible substrate using hot press technique for sensing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, Prabhash; Tai, Nyan-Hwa; Harsh; Islam, S.S.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Successfully transfer of microstructure patterned CNTs on PET substrate. • Demonstrate as resistor-based NH 3 gas sensor in the sub-ppm range. • Excellent photodetector having instantaneous response and recovery characteristics. • An effective technique to grow and produce flexible electronic device. - Abstract: In this work, we report the successful and efficient transfer process of two- dimensional (2-D) vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate by hot pressing method with an aim to develop flexible sensor devices. Carbon nanotubes are synthesized by cold wall thermal chemical vapor deposition using patterned SiO 2 substrate under low pressure. The height of the pattern of CNTs is controlled by reaction time. The entire growth and transfer process is carried out within 30 min. Strong adhesion between the nanotube and polyethylene terephthalate substrate was observed in the post-transferred case. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies are used to analyze the microstructure of carbon nanotube film before and after hot pressing. This technique shows great potential for the fabrication of flexible sensing devices. We report for the first time, the application of patterned microstructure developed by this technique in the development of gas sensor and optoelectronic device. Surface resistive mode is used for detection of ammonia (NH 3 ) gas in the sub-ppm range. An impressive photoconducting response is also observed in the visible wavelength. The reproducibility of the sample was checked and the results indicate the possibility of use of carbon nanotube as gas sensor, photodetector, CCDs etc

Transfer of microstructure pattern of CNTs onto flexible substrate using hot press technique for sensing applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishra, Prabhash [Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Nano-Sensor Research Laboratory, F/O Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi (India); Tai, Nyan-Hwa [Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Harsh [Nano-Sensor Research Laboratory, F/O Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi (India); Islam, S.S., E-mail: safiul5996@gmail.com [Nano-Sensor Research Laboratory, F/O Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi (India)

2013-08-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Successfully transfer of microstructure patterned CNTs on PET substrate. • Demonstrate as resistor-based NH{sub 3} gas sensor in the sub-ppm range. • Excellent photodetector having instantaneous response and recovery characteristics. • An effective technique to grow and produce flexible electronic device. - Abstract: In this work, we report the successful and efficient transfer process of two- dimensional (2-D) vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate by hot pressing method with an aim to develop flexible sensor devices. Carbon nanotubes are synthesized by cold wall thermal chemical vapor deposition using patterned SiO{sub 2} substrate under low pressure. The height of the pattern of CNTs is controlled by reaction time. The entire growth and transfer process is carried out within 30 min. Strong adhesion between the nanotube and polyethylene terephthalate substrate was observed in the post-transferred case. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies are used to analyze the microstructure of carbon nanotube film before and after hot pressing. This technique shows great potential for the fabrication of flexible sensing devices. We report for the first time, the application of patterned microstructure developed by this technique in the development of gas sensor and optoelectronic device. Surface resistive mode is used for detection of ammonia (NH{sub 3}) gas in the sub-ppm range. An impressive photoconducting response is also observed in the visible wavelength. The reproducibility of the sample was checked and the results indicate the possibility of use of carbon nanotube as gas sensor, photodetector, CCDs etc.

Investigation of thermal and hot-wire chemical vapor deposition copper thin films on TiN substrates using CupraSelect as precursor.

Science.gov (United States)

Papadimitropoulos, G; Davazoglou, D

2011-09-01

Copper films were deposited on oxidized Si substrates covered with TiN using a novel chemical vapor deposition reactor in which reactions were assisted by a heated tungsten filament (hot-wire CVD, HWCVD). Liquid at room temperature hexafluoroacetylacetonate Cu(I) trimethylvinylsilane (CupraSelect) was directly injected into the reactor with the aid of a direct-liquid injection (DLI) system using N2 as carrier gas. The deposition rates of HWCVD Cu films obtained on TiN covered substrates were found to increase with filament temperature (65 and 170 degrees C were tested). The resistivities of HWCVD Cu films were found to be higher than for thermally grown films due to the possible presence of impurities into the Cu films from the incomplete dissociation of the precursor and W impurities caused by the presence of the filament. For HWCVD films grown at a filament temperature of 170 degrees C, smaller grains are formed than at 65 degrees C as shown from the taken SEM micrographs. XRD diffractograms taken on Cu films deposited on TiN could not reveal the presence of W compounds originating from the filament because the relative peak was masked by the TiN [112] peak.

A novel fiber-optic temperature sensor based on high temperature-dependent optical properties of ZnO film on sapphire fiber-ending

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Pinggen; Zhen Dong; Xu Xiaojun; Liu Yulin; Chen Naibo; Wei Gaorao; Sui Chenghua

2010-01-01

We report the growth of high-quality thin films of ZnO via an electron-beam evaporation technique. Studies of the transmittance spectra have revealed a sharp optical absorption edge and a significant redshift. After annealing at 673 K, the ZnO films again demonstrated a sharp absorption edge in a manner similar to the as-deposited samples. This illustrates the excellent thermal stability of the thin films and, as such, demonstrates their potential as fiber-optic temperature sensors. Utilizing the influence of optical absorption spectra at different temperatures, a novel fiber-optic temperature sensor based on this material has been designed and tested. This technique could offer a simple, robust and cost-effective method to be used in high temperature sensing applications.

A highly sensitive multiplasmonic sensor using hyperbolic chiral sculptured thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Farhat; Faryad, Muhammad

2017-11-01

Surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) waves guided by an interface of a metal and a hyperbolic chiral sculptured thin film (STF) were theoretically investigated for optical sensing of an analyte. The chiral STF was infiltrated with the analyte to be sensed, and the resulting change in the incidence angle of excitation of the SPP waves in the prism-coupled configuration was computed. The results indicated the potential of this configuration for a plasmonic sensor with sensitivity up to 6000 degrees per refractive index units of the infiltrating fluid in the angular investigation scheme, with multiple SPP waves of the same frequency but different phase speeds, spatial profiles, and sensitivities. The enhancement in the sensitivity is attributed to the high field strength of the SPP waves near the interface. A multiplasmonic sensor is advantageous because of its potential for higher confidence in the measurement of the same analyte.

MEMS based Low Cost Piezoresistive Microcantilever Force Sensor and Sensor Module.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandya, H J; Kim, Hyun Tae; Roy, Rajarshi; Desai, Jaydev P

2014-03-01

In the present work, we report fabrication and characterization of a low-cost MEMS based piezoresistive micro-force sensor with SU-8 tip using laboratory made silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. To prepare SOI wafer, silicon film (0.8 µm thick) was deposited on an oxidized silicon wafer using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The films were deposited in Argon (Ar) ambient without external substrate heating. The material characteristics of the sputtered deposited silicon film and silicon film annealed at different temperatures (400-1050°C) were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The residual stress of the films was measured as a function of annealing temperature. The stress of the as-deposited films was observed to be compressive and annealing the film above 1050°C resulted in a tensile stress. The stress of the film decreased gradually with increase in annealing temperature. The fabricated cantilevers were 130 µm in length, 40 µm wide and 1.0 µm thick. A series of force-displacement curves were obtained using fabricated microcantilever with commercial AFM setup and the data were analyzed to get the spring constant and the sensitivity of the fabricated microcantilever. The measured spring constant and sensitivity of the sensor was 0.1488N/m and 2.7mV/N. The microcantilever force sensor was integrated with an electronic module that detects the change in resistance of the sensor with respect to the applied force and displays it on the computer screen.

Thermal propagation and stability in superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Zasadzinski, J.F.; Ducharme, S.P.

1983-01-01

Thermal propagation and stable hot spots (normal domains) are studied in various high Tsub(c) superconducting films (Nb 3 Sn, Nb, NbN and Nb 3 Ge). A new energy balance is shown to give reasonable quantitative agreement of the dependence of the propagation velocity on the length of short normal domains. The steady state (zero velocity) measurements indicate the existence of two distinct situations for films on high thermal conductivity (sapphire) substrates. For low power per unit area the film and substrate have the same temperature, and the thermal properties of the substrate dominate. However, for higher power densities in short hot spots, the coupling is relatively weak and the thermal properties of the film alone are important. Here a connection is made between the critical current stability of superconducting films and a critical hot spot size for thermal propagation. As a result efficient heat removal is shown to dominate the stabilisation of superconducting films. The strong and weak coupling situations also lead to modifications of the models for propagation velocities on sapphire substrates. Self-healing of hot spots and other phenomena in superconducting film are explained. The potential use of the thermal propagation model in applications of superconductors, especially switches is discussed. (author)

A Flexible and Highly Sensitive Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on Micropatterned Films Coated with Carbon Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia-lin Yao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Excellent flexibility, high sensitivity, and low consumption are essential characteristics in flexible microtube pressure sensing occasion, for example, implantable medical devices, industrial pipeline, and microfluidic chip. This paper reports a flexible, highly sensitive, and ultrathin piezoresistive pressure sensor for fluid pressure sensing, whose sensing element is micropatterned films with conductive carbon nanotube layer. The flexible pressure sensor, the thickness of which is 40 ± 10 μm, could be economically fabricated by using biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS. Experimental results show that the flexible pressure sensor has high sensitivity (0.047 kPa−1 in gas sensing and 5.6 × 10−3 kPa−1 in liquid sensing and low consumption (<180 μW, and the sensor could be used to measure the pressure in curved microtubes.

Nanoporous Zeolite Thin Film-Based Fiber Intrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometric Sensor for Detection of Dissolved Organics in Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hai Xiao

2006-08-01

Full Text Available A fiber optic intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (IFPI chemical sensor wasdeveloped by fine-polishing a thin layer of polycrystalline nanoporous MFI zeolitesynthesized on the cleaved endface of a single mode fiber. The sensor operated bymonitoring the optical thickness changes of the zeolite thin film caused by the adsorption oforganic molecules into the zeolite channels. The optical thickness of the zeolite thin filmwas measured by white light interferometry. Using methanol, 2-propanol, and toluene as themodel chemicals, it was demonstrated that the zeolite IPFI sensor could detect dissolvedorganics in water with high sensitivity.

A Dew Point Meter Comprising a Nanoporous Thin Film Alumina Humidity Sensor with a Linearizing Capacitance Measuring Electronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dilip Kumar Ghara

2008-02-01

Full Text Available A novel trace moisture analyzer is presented comprising a capacitive nanoporous film of metal oxide sensor and electronics. The change in capacity of the sensor is due to absorption of water vapor by the pores. A simple capacitance measuring electronics is developed which can detect any change in capacitance and correlates to ambient humidity. The circuit can minimize the parasitic earth capacitance. The non linear response of the sensor is linearized with a micro-controller linearizing circuit. The experimental result shows a resolution of -4°C DP and accuracy within 2%.

Evaluation of advanced hot conditioning process for PHWRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandramohan, P.; Srinivasan, M.P.; Velmurugan, S.

2015-01-01

Hot-conditioning/hot functional test process is carried out to the PHT system of reactor before reactor going to critical/operational. The process is aimed in checking the component functionalities at high temperature and high pressure conditions, the process also checks/removes the suspended corrosion products in heat transport circuit. This process leads to formation of a passive or corrosion oxide film on the heat transport circuit surfaces which protects/mitigates the corrosion of the system circuits during the operation of plant. Major concerned alloy in the Primary Heat Transport (PHT) system of Indian PHWRs during the hot conditioning process and also during operation is the carbon steel due to its high corrosion. Hot-conditioning process mitigates the corrosion of carbon steel by the formation of iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) as major oxide phase layer on the carbon steel surface with a typical thickness of 1.0 μm with particle size of 1μm after 336 h of process at 250 °C. But this passive oxide film thickness increase with time of operation of system with c.a. 10μm for 2.2 EFYP. The protectiveness of passive layer can be further enhanced by reducing the particle sizes in the passive film to nano meter range. The process can impact on the compactness of passive oxide layer with reduced pores in the oxide layer and properties of the nano nature oxide (transport properties) impacting the corrosion mitigation. The corrosion mitigation reduce the source term in the activated corrosion product generation. To achieve this a new process 'Advanced hot conditioning' was developed in water steam chemistry division, BARC for getting a passive oxide film with a lowered particle size in the passive film. The AHC process with 1g/L of PEG-8000 at 250 °C for 336 h showed a particle size <100 nm. The process was tested under the normal operating conditions as function of the time, the corrosion parameter like oxide film thickness, corrosion rate and metal ion

Novel amperometric sensor using metolcarb-imprinted film as the recognition element on a gold electrode and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Mingfei; Fang Guozhen; Liu Bing; Qian Kun; Wang Shuo

2011-01-01

A molecularly imprinted film is electrochemically synthesized on a gold electrode using cyclic voltammetry to electropolymerize o-aminothiophenol in the presence of metolcarb (MTMC). The mechanism of the imprinting process and a number of factors affecting the activity of the imprinted film are discussed and optimized. Scanning electron microscope observations and binding measurements have proved that an MTMC-imprinted film (with a thickness of nearly 100 nm) was formed on the surface of the gold electrode. The film exhibited high binding affinity and selectivity towards the template MTMC, as well as good penetrability, reproducibility and stability. A novel amperometry sensor using the imprinted film as recognition element was developed for MTMC determination in food samples. Under the experimental conditions, the MTMC standard is linear within the concentration range studied (r 2 = 0.9906). The limit of detection (S/N = 3) of the modified electrode was achieved to 1.34 x 10 -8 mol L -1 . Recoveries of MTMC from spiked apple juice, cabbage and cucumber samples for the developed electrochemical assay ranged from 94.80% to 102.43%, which was with great correlation coefficient (0.9929) with results from high-performance liquid chromatography. In practical application, the prepared amperometric sensor also showed good reproducibility and long lifetime for storage. The research in this study has offered a rapid, accurate and sensitive electrochemical method for quantitative determination of MTMC in food products.

Development of a Flexible Strain Sensor Based on PEDOT:PSS for Thin Film Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra El Zein

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop and optimize a reproducible flexible sensor adapted to thin low-density polyethylene (LDPE films and/or structures to enable their deformation measurements. As these deformations are suspected to be weak (less than 10%, the developed sensor needs to be particularly sensitive. Moreover, it is of prime importance that sensor integration and usability do not modify the mechanical behavior of its LDPE substrate. The literature review allowed several materials to be investigated and an elastomer/intrinsically conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS (CleviosTM filled composite was selected to simultaneously combine mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. This composite (made of PEDOT:PSS and silicone Bluesil® presented satisfying compatibilities with piezoresistive effects, negative temperature performances (in a range from −60 °C to 20 °C, as well as elongation properties (until the elastic limit of the substrate was reached. The method used for creating the sensor is fully described, as are the optimization of the sensor manufacture in terms of used materials, the used amount of materials where the percolation theory aspects must be considered, the adhesion to the substrate, and the manufacturing protocol. Electromechanical characterization was performed to assess the gauge factor (K of the sensor on its substrate.

Low-Cost Soil Moisture Profile Probe Using Thin-Film Capacitors and a Capacitive Touch Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuki Kojima

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Soil moisture is an important property for agriculture, but currently commercialized soil moisture sensors are too expensive for many farmers. The objective of this study is to develop a low-cost soil moisture sensor using capacitors on a film substrate and a capacitive touch integrated circuit. The performance of the sensor was evaluated in two field experiments: a grape field and a mizuna greenhouse field. The developed sensor captured dynamic changes in soil moisture at 10, 20, and 30 cm depth, with a period of 10–14 days required after sensor installation for the contact between capacitors and soil to settle down. The measured soil moisture showed the influence of individual sensor differences, and the influence masked minor differences of less than 0.05 m3·m−3 in the soil moisture at different locations. However, the developed sensor could detect large differences of more than 0.05 m3·m−3, as well as the different magnitude of changes, in soil moisture. The price of the developed sensor was reduced to 300 U.S. dollars and can be reduced even more by further improvements suggested in this study and by mass production. Therefore, the developed sensor will be made more affordable to farmers as it requires low financial investment, and it can be utilized for decision-making in irrigation.

Thin film platinum–palladium thermocouples for gas turbine engine applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tougas, Ian M.; Gregory, Otto J., E-mail: gregory@egr.uri.edu

2013-07-31

Thin film platinum:palladium thermocouples were fabricated on alumina and mullite surfaces using radio frequency sputtering and characterized after high temperature exposure to oxidizing environments. The thermoelectric output, hysteresis, and drift of these sensors were measured at temperatures up to 1100 °C. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to follow the extent of oxidation in each thermocouple leg and interdiffusion at the metallurgical junction. Minimal oxidation of the platinum and palladium thermoelements was observed after high temperature exposure, but considerable dewetting and faceting of the films were observed in scanning electron microscopy. An Arrhenius temperature dependence on the drift rate was observed and later attributed to microstructural changes during thermal cycling. The thin film thermocouples, however, did exhibit excellent stability at 1000 °C with drift rates comparable to commercial type-K wire thermocouples. Based on these results, platinum:palladium thin film thermocouples have considerable potential for use in the hot sections of gas turbine engines. - Highlights: • Stable thin film platinum:palladium thermocouples for gas turbine engines • Little oxidation but significant microstructural changes from thermal cycling • Minimal hysteresis during repeated thermal cycling • Drift comparable to commercial wire thermocouples.

Ti:Pt:Au:Ni thin-film CVD diamond sensor ability for charged particle detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasiwattanawut, Haruetai; Tchouaso, Modeste Tchakoua; Prelas, Mark A

2018-05-22

This work demonstrates the development of diamond sensors with reliable contacts using a new metallization formula, which can operate under high-pressure gas environment. The metallization was created using thin film layers of titanium, platinum, gold and nickel deposited on a single crystal electronic grade CVD diamond chip. The contacts were 2 mm in diameter with thickness of 50/5/20/150 nm of Ti:Pt:Au:Ni. The optimum operating voltage of the sensor was determined from the current-voltage measurements. The sensor was calibrated with 239 Pu and 241 Am alpha radiation sources at 300 V. The energy resolution of the Ti:Pt:Au:Ni diamond sensor was determined to be 7.6% at 5.2 MeV of 239 Pu and 2.2% at 5.48 MeV of 241 Am. The high-pressure gas loading environment under which this sensor was used is discussed. Specifically, experimental observations are described using hydrogen loading of nickel as a means of initiating low energy nuclear reactions. No neutrons, electrons, ions or other ionizing radiations were observed in these experiments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Layer-by-layer construction of graphene/cobalt phthalocyanine composite film on activated GCE for application as a nitrite sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Lili; Pu, Tao; Liu, Ying; He, Xingquan

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: A novel nitrite sensor was prepared by using LBL technique which for the first time used the activated positively charged glassy carbon electrode (A-GCE) as the substrate. The nitrite sensor shows super stability for consecutive CV testing and rather low detection limit. -- Abstract: In this paper, a novel graphene/cobalt phthalocyanine composite film was prepared by layer-by-layer (LBL) technique which for the first time used the activated positively charged glassy carbon electrode (A-GCE) as the substrate. The surface morphology of graphene/cobalt phthalocyanine composite film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). It is found that graphene/cobalt phthalocyanine composite film modified GCE exhibits good catalytic activity toward the oxidation of nitrite. The oxidation current barely decreases in consecutive CV test. Furthermore, the modified GCE shows long-term stability after 70 days. The super good stability can be attributed to the immobilization and dispersion of electroactive cobalt phthalocyanine by graphene, and using A-GCE as substrate which can enhance the interaction force between GCE and electroactive cobalt phthalocyanine. The nitrite sensor shows rather low detection limit of 0.084 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio = 3 (S/N = 3)

Gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Andreas K.; Mascaraque, Arantzazu; Santos, Benito; de la Figuera, Juan

2014-09-09

A gas sensor is described which incorporates a sensor stack comprising a first film layer of a ferromagnetic material, a spacer layer, and a second film layer of the ferromagnetic material. The first film layer is fabricated so that it exhibits a dependence of its magnetic anisotropy direction on the presence of a gas, That is, the orientation of the easy axis of magnetization will flip from out-of-plane to in-plane when the gas to be detected is present in sufficient concentration. By monitoring the change in resistance of the sensor stack when the orientation of the first layer's magnetization changes, and correlating that change with temperature one can determine both the identity and relative concentration of the detected gas. In one embodiment the stack sensor comprises a top ferromagnetic layer two mono layers thick of cobalt deposited upon a spacer layer of ruthenium, which in turn has a second layer of cobalt disposed on its other side, this second cobalt layer in contact with a programmable heater chip.

Integrated Passive And Wireless Sensor

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong; Kosel, Jü rgen

2015-01-01

A passive and wireless sensor is provided for sensing at least one of magnetic field, temperature or humidity. The sensor can provide only one of the sensing functions, individually or any combination of them simultaneously. It can be used for various applications where magnetic field changes, temperature and/or humidity need to be measured. In one or more embodiments, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor is provided that can measure one or more of a magnetic field (or current that generates the magnetic field), temperature and humidity. In one or more embodiments, a magnetoimpedence (MI) sensor (for example a thin film giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensor), a thermally sensitive (for example a Lithium Niobite (LiNbO.sub.3)) substrate, and a humidity sensitive film (for example a hydrogel film) can be used as sensing elements.

Integrated Passive And Wireless Sensor

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong

2015-04-30

A passive and wireless sensor is provided for sensing at least one of magnetic field, temperature or humidity. The sensor can provide only one of the sensing functions, individually or any combination of them simultaneously. It can be used for various applications where magnetic field changes, temperature and/or humidity need to be measured. In one or more embodiments, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor is provided that can measure one or more of a magnetic field (or current that generates the magnetic field), temperature and humidity. In one or more embodiments, a magnetoimpedence (MI) sensor (for example a thin film giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensor), a thermally sensitive (for example a Lithium Niobite (LiNbO.sub.3)) substrate, and a humidity sensitive film (for example a hydrogel film) can be used as sensing elements.

Comparison of anti-corrosive properties between hot alkaline nitrate blackening and hydrothermal blackening routes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fattah-alhosseini, A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 65178-38695 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Yazdani Khan, H., E-mail: hamid.yazdanikhan@gmail.com [Department of Materials Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 65178-38695 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Heidarpour, A. [Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Hamedan University of Technology, Hamedan, 65155-579 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-15

In this study, the oxide films were formed on carbon steel by using hot alkaline nitrate and hydrothermal treatments. A dense and protective oxide film was obtained by hydrothermal method due to application of high pressure and by increasing solution temperature from boiling temperature (155 °C) to 250 °C. Oxide films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and electrochemical tests including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). These analyses showed that the magnetite film which was formed on carbon steel surface by hydrothermal treatment offers the best resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Although thicker oxide film could be obtained via hot alkaline nitrate black oxidizing, corrosion resistance was lower as a result of being highly porous and the presence of hematite. - Highlights: • Oxide films have been formed on steel by using of hot alkaline nitrate and hydrothermal treatments. • A dense and protective oxide film was obtained by hydrothermal treatment. • SEM micrographs showed that a dense and protective oxide film was obtained by hydrothermal treatment. • Film formed by hydrothermal treatment could have the best resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution.

Comparison of different photoresist buffer layers in SPR sensors based on D-shaped POF and gold film

Science.gov (United States)

Cennamo, Nunzio; Pesavento, Maria; De Maria, Letizia; Galatus, Ramona; Mattiello, Francesco; Zeni, Luigi

2017-04-01

A comparative analysis of two optical fiber sensing platforms is presented. The sensors are based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in a D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF) with a photoresist buffer layer between the exposed POF core and the thin gold film. We show how the sensor's performances change when the photoresist layer changes. The photoresist layers proposed in this analysis are SU-8 3005 and S1813. The experimental results are congruent with the numerical studies and it is instrumental for chemical and bio-chemical applications. Usually, the photoresist layer is required in order to increase the performance of the SPR-POF sensor.

Numerical study of on-fiber metal film geometry on behavior of dual parameter SFBG sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodarzy, Behnam; Foroozmehr, Ehsan; Alemohammad, Hamidreza

2016-01-01

In this paper, a numerical model for simulating a dual parameter super-structure FBG (SFBG) with on-fiber deposited thin films is developed. A periodic on-fiber thin coating of silver on FBG sensors provides the ability of measuring two parameters of strain and temperature simultaneously. The model consists of a mechanical model to determine the strain of the sensor caused by different loading conditions, coupled with an optical model to calculate the reflected spectrum of the SFBG sensor. A guideline is introduced for designing a SFBG by studying the effect of coating period, coating duty cycle, and coating thickness. The results show that the sideband spacing in such SFBGs is only affected by the coating period while the Bragg peak sensitivity does not depend on coating period. Also the coating duty cycle and the coating thickness can affect both sensitivity of the Bragg peak and the measuring range of a sensor. The validity of the results was studied by comparing with previously reported data. (paper)

Enhancement of photo sensor properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin film by swift heavy ion irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahajan, S. V.; Upadhye, D. S.; Bagul, S. B. [Department of Nanotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (India); Shaikh, S. U.; Birajadar, R. B.; Siddiqui, F. Y.; Huse, N. P. [Thin film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (India); Sharma, R. B., E-mail: ramphalsharma@yahoo.com, E-mail: rps.phy@gmail.com [Thin film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (India); Department of Nanotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (India)

2015-06-24

Nanocrystalline Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin film prepared by Low cost Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method. This film was irradiated by 120 MeV Ni{sup 7+} ions with the fluence of 5x10{sup 12}ions/cm{sup 2}. The X-ray diffraction study was shows polycrystalline nature with wurtzite structure. The optical properties as absorbance were determined using UV-Spectrophotometer and band gap was also calculated. The Photo Sensor nature was calculated by I-V characteristics with different sources of light 40W, 60W and 100W.

Hot spot in GdBa2Cu3O7-δ-based composite ceramics rods and their applications for oxygen sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamoto, T; Takata, M

2011-01-01

A hot spot, which is a local area glowing orange, appears in a LnBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Ln: rare earth element) ceramic rod when a voltage exceeding a certain value is applied to the rod at room temperature. After the appearance of the hot spot, the current changes according to the oxygen partial pressure in ambient atmosphere, which acts as an oxygen sensor without the need for any heating system. The GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ rod tended to be melted and broken by a sustained presence of the hot spot in a high oxygen partial pressure Po 2 (∼100 kPa). The composite rod containing high melting point materials, such as BaAl 2 O 4 , BaZrO 3 and Gd 2 BaCuO 5 , showed a remarkable high durability in O 2 atmosphere. In a low Po 2 ( 2 Cu3O 7-δ rod decreases to almost zero and the hot spot disappeared, resulting in an insensitive rod to oxygen. The composite rod containing CuO detected oxygen even in Po 2 < 0.002 kPa.

Chemical sensors for nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gnanasekaran, K.I.

2012-01-01

Development of chemical sensors for detection of gases at trace levels for applications in nuclear industry will be highlighted. The sensors have to be highly sensitive, reliable and rugged with long term stability to operate in harsh industrial environment. Semiconductor and solid electrolyte based electrochemical sensors satisfy the requirements. Physico-chemical aspects underlying the development of H 2 sensors in sodium and in cover gas circuit of the Fast breeder reactors for its smooth functioning, NH 3 and H 2 S sensors for use in Heavy water production industries and NO x sensors for spent fuel reprocessing plants will be presented. Development of oxygen sensors to monitor the oxygen level in the reactor containments and sodium sensors for detection of sodium leakages will also be discussed. The talk will focus the general aspects of identification of the sensing material for the respective analyte species, development of suitable chemical route for preparing them as fine powders, the need for configuring them in thick film or thin film geometries and their performance. Pulsed laser deposition method, an elegant technique to prepare the high quality thin films of multicomponent oxides is demonstrated for preparation of nanostructured thin films of complex oxides and its use in tailoring the morphology of the complex sensing material in the desired form by optimizing the in-situ growth conditions. (author)

Thin film ceramic thermocouples

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Otto (Inventor); Fralick, Gustave (Inventor); Wrbanek, John (Inventor); You, Tao (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A thin film ceramic thermocouple (10) having two ceramic thermocouple (12, 14) that are in contact with each other in at least on point to form a junction, and wherein each element was prepared in a different oxygen/nitrogen/argon plasma. Since each element is prepared under different plasma conditions, they have different electrical conductivity and different charge carrier concentration. The thin film thermocouple (10) can be transparent. A versatile ceramic sensor system having an RTD heat flux sensor can be combined with a thermocouple and a strain sensor to yield a multifunctional ceramic sensor array. The transparent ceramic temperature sensor that could ultimately be used for calibration of optical sensors.

Annealing effects on the structural and optical properties of vanadium oxide film obtained by the hot-filament metal oxide deposition technique (HFMOD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scarminio, Jair; Silva, Paulo Rogerio Catarini da, E-mail: scarmini@uel.br, E-mail: prcsilva@uel.br [Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), PR (Brazil). Departamento de Fisica; Gelamo, Rogerio Valentim, E-mail: rogelamo@gmail.com [Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, MG (Brazil); Moraes, Mario Antonio Bica de, E-mail: bmoraes@mailhost.ifi.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil)

2017-01-15

Vanadium oxide films amorphous, nonstoichiometric and highly absorbing in the optical region were deposited on ITO-coated glass and on silicon substrates, by the hot-filament metal oxide deposition technique (HFMOD) and oxidized by ex-situ annealing in a furnace at 200, 300, 400 and 500 deg C, under an atmosphere of argon and rarefied oxygen. X-ray diffraction, Raman and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy as well as optical transmission were employed to characterize the amorphous and annealed films. When annealed at 200 and 300 deg C the as-deposited opaque films become transparent but still amorphous. Under treatments at 400 and 500 deg C a crystalline nonstoichiometric V{sub 2}O{sub 5} structure is formed. All the annealed films became semiconducting, with their optical absorption coefficients changing with the annealing temperature. An optical gap of 2.25 eV was measured for the films annealed at 400 and 500 deg C. The annealing in rarefied oxygen atmosphere proved to be a useful and simple ex-situ method to modulate the structural and optical properties of vanadium oxide films deposited by HFMOD technique. This technique could be applied to other amorphous and non-absorbing oxide films, replacing the conventional and sometimes expensive method of modulate desirable film properties by controlling the film deposition parameters. Even more, the HFMOD technique can be an inexpensive alternative to deposit metal oxide films. (author)

Fabrication of highly sensitive and selective H{sub 2} gas sensor based on SnO{sub 2} thin film sensitized with microsized Pd islands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Toan, Nguyen; Viet Chien, Nguyen; Van Duy, Nguyen [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), No. 1, Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Si Hong, Hoang [School of Electrical Engineering (SEE), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), Hanoi (Viet Nam); Nguyen, Hugo [Division of Microsystems Technology, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala (Sweden); Duc Hoa, Nguyen [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), No. 1, Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Van Hieu, Nguyen, E-mail: hieu@itims.edu.vn [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), No. 1, Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi (Viet Nam)

2016-01-15

Highlights: • H{sub 2} gas sensors based on SnO{sub 2} thin film sensitized with Pd islands were fabricated. • The sensors could monitor hazardous H{sub 2}n gas at low concentrations of 25–250 ppm. • H{sub 2} response of Pd/SnO{sub 2} is higher than that of Pt/SnO{sub 2} and Au/SnO{sub 2} sensors. • Enhancement of sensor performance was discussed based on spillover and diffusion mechanisms. - Abstract: Ultrasensitive and selective hydrogen gas sensor is vital component in safe use of hydrogen that requires a detection and alarm of leakage. Herein, we fabricated a H{sub 2} sensing devices by adopting a simple design of planar-type structure sensor in which the heater, electrode, and sensing layer were patterned on the front side of a silicon wafer. The SnO{sub 2} thin film-based sensors that were sensitized with microsized Pd islands were fabricated at a wafer-scale by using a sputtering system combined with micro-electronic techniques. The thicknesses of SnO{sub 2} thin film and microsized Pd islands were optimized to maximize the sensing performance of the devices. The optimized sensor could be used for monitoring hydrogen gas at low concentrations of 25–250 ppm, with a linear dependence to H{sub 2} concentration and a fast response and recovery time. The sensor also showed excellent selectivity for monitoring H{sub 2} among other gases, such as CO, NH{sub 3}, and LPG, and satisfactory characteristics for ensuring safety in handling hydrogen. The hydrogen sensing characteristics of the sensors sensitized with Pt and Au islands were also studied to clarify the sensing mechanisms.

Thin film system with integrated load and temperature sensors for the technical application in deep drawing process

Science.gov (United States)

Biehl, Saskia; Paetsch, Nancy; Meyer-Kornblum, Eike

2017-05-01

In these days industry 4.0 resounded throughout the land and means the fourth industrial revolution. The industry has to tackle the task of a flexible and customer-oriented production. Therefor the need of sensor systems for the measurement of temperature and load, the two most important categories in production, is rising. For getting the real specification during the production process the integration of sensor elements in high load regions of machinery is very important. Thus wear resistant thin film sensor systems directly applied onto the surface of plant components are in development. These multilayer systems combine excellent wear resistance with sensory behaviour. The sensor data will lead to a deeper process understanding, to optimization of simulation tools, to reduction of rejects and to an improvement of flexibility in production.

Measurement of radiation induced transients in hybrid microcircuits by magnetic thin film sensor/recorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, E.J.; Vindelov, K.E.; Brown, T.G.; Miller, D.E.

1976-01-01

Magnetic thin film transient current sensor/recorders were modified to make two types of nuclear test measurements, transient currents in hybrid microcircuits and internal electromagnetic pulse (IEMP) fields. The measurements were made possible by the invention of split-domain sensor/recorders which can measure bilateral currents and can be reset and readout on location. The sensor/recorders were used in two underground nuclear tests and numerous calibration tests in radiation-simulation machines. The data showed that the nuclear environment had negligible effect on the sensor/recorder's operation and the recorded informations on the sensor/recorders were the signals intended to be monitored. Also, the experimental data agreed with the theoretical analysis in controlled experiments. The data were examined first by on location readout with a magnetic tape viewer and later by Kerr magneto-optic readout in the laboratory. To translate the data into current readings, we reconstructed facsimile data (on each of the sensor/recorders) in the laboratory by current pulses with the same pulse width as the radiation event. An additional check on the accuracy of the data was made by using both the sensor/recorder and the conventional pickup-oscilloscope-camera technique to monitor the same current lead in a simulated radiation environment. Over five runs were made, and the agreement among the two measurement methods was within 25%. The data collectively implied that the measurements were reliable and dependable

Novel amperometric sensor using metolcarb-imprinted film as the recognition element on a gold electrode and its application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan Mingfei; Fang Guozhen; Liu Bing; Qian Kun [Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Wang Shuo, E-mail: pmf2006@126.com [Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China)

2011-04-01

A molecularly imprinted film is electrochemically synthesized on a gold electrode using cyclic voltammetry to electropolymerize o-aminothiophenol in the presence of metolcarb (MTMC). The mechanism of the imprinting process and a number of factors affecting the activity of the imprinted film are discussed and optimized. Scanning electron microscope observations and binding measurements have proved that an MTMC-imprinted film (with a thickness of nearly 100 nm) was formed on the surface of the gold electrode. The film exhibited high binding affinity and selectivity towards the template MTMC, as well as good penetrability, reproducibility and stability. A novel amperometry sensor using the imprinted film as recognition element was developed for MTMC determination in food samples. Under the experimental conditions, the MTMC standard is linear within the concentration range studied (r{sup 2} = 0.9906). The limit of detection (S/N = 3) of the modified electrode was achieved to 1.34 x 10{sup -8} mol L{sup -1}. Recoveries of MTMC from spiked apple juice, cabbage and cucumber samples for the developed electrochemical assay ranged from 94.80% to 102.43%, which was with great correlation coefficient (0.9929) with results from high-performance liquid chromatography. In practical application, the prepared amperometric sensor also showed good reproducibility and long lifetime for storage. The research in this study has offered a rapid, accurate and sensitive electrochemical method for quantitative determination of MTMC in food products.

Comparative study of ZnO nanorods and thin films for chemical and biosensing applications and the development of ZnO nanorods based potentiometric strontium ion sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, K.; Ibupoto, Z. H.; Chey, C. O.; Lu, Jun.; Nur, O.; Willander, M.

2013-03-01

In this study, the comparative study of ZnO nanorods and ZnO thin films were performed regarding the chemical and biosensing properties and also ZnO nanorods based strontium ion sensor is proposed. ZnO nanorods were grown on gold coated glass substrates by the hydrothermal growth method and the ZnO thin films were deposited by electro deposition technique. ZnO nanorods and thin films were characterised by field emission electron microscopy [FESEM] and X-ray diffraction [XRD] techniques and this study has shown that the grown nanostructures are highly dense, uniform and exhibited good crystal quality. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy [TEM] was used to investigate the quality of ZnO thin film and we observed that ZnO thin film was comprised of nano clusters. ZnO nanorods and thin films were functionalised with selective strontium ionophore salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone [ST] membrane, galactose oxidase, and lactate oxidase for the detection of strontium ion, galactose and L-lactic acid, respectively. The electrochemical response of both ZnO nanorods and thin films sensor devices was measured by using the potentiometric method. The strontium ion sensor has exhibited good characteristics with a sensitivity of 28.65 ± 0.52 mV/decade, for a wide range of concentrations from 1.00 × 10-6 to 5.00 × 10-2 M, selectivity, reproducibility, stability and fast response time of 10.00 s. The proposed strontium ion sensor was used as indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of strontium ion versus ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid [EDTA]. This comparative study has shown that ZnO nanorods possessed better performance with high sensitivity and low limit of detection due to high surface area to volume ratio as compared to the flat surface of ZnO thin films.

Piezoresistive silicon thin film sensor array for biomedical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alpuim, P.; Correia, V.; Marins, E.S.; Rocha, J.G.; Trindade, I.G.; Lanceros-Mendez, S.

2011-01-01

N-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin film piezoresistors, with gauge factor - 28, were deposited on rugged and flexible polyimide foils by Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition using a tantalum filament heated to 1750 o C. The piezoresistive response under cyclic quasi-static and dynamical (up to 100 Hz) load conditions is reported. Test structures, consisting of microresistors having lateral dimensions in the range from 50 to 100 μm and thickness of 120 nm were defined in an array by reactive ion etching. Metallic pads, forming ohmic contacts to the sensing elements, were defined by a lift-off process. A readout circuit for the array consisting in a mutiplexer on each row and column of the matrix is proposed. The digital data will be processed, interpreted and stored internally by an ultra low-power micro controller, also responsible for the communication of two-way wireless data, e.g. from inside to outside the human body.

Efficient Skin Temperature Sensor and Stable Gel-Less Sticky ECG Sensor for a Wearable Flexible Healthcare Patch.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Yuki; Yamamoto, Daisuke; Takada, Makoto; Naito, Hiroyoshi; Arie, Takayuki; Akita, Seiji; Takei, Kuniharu

2017-09-01

Wearable, flexible healthcare devices, which can monitor health data to predict and diagnose disease in advance, benefit society. Toward this future, various flexible and stretchable sensors as well as other components are demonstrated by arranging materials, structures, and processes. Although there are many sensor demonstrations, the fundamental characteristics such as the dependence of a temperature sensor on film thickness and the impact of adhesive for an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor are yet to be explored in detail. In this study, the effect of film thickness for skin temperature measurements, adhesive force, and reliability of gel-less ECG sensors as well as an integrated real-time demonstration is reported. Depending on the ambient conditions, film thickness strongly affects the precision of skin temperature measurements, resulting in a thin flexible film suitable for a temperature sensor in wearable device applications. Furthermore, by arranging the material composition, stable gel-less sticky ECG electrodes are realized. Finally, real-time simultaneous skin temperature and ECG signal recordings are demonstrated by attaching an optimized device onto a volunteer's chest. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison between RVG UI sensor and Kodak InSight film for detection of incipient proximal caries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Yukiko; Hanazawa, Tomomi; Seki, Kenji; Araki, Kazuyuki; Okano, Tomohiro

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the four combination modes of Trophy Radio Visio Graphy (RVG) UI sensor (Trex-Trophy Radiology Inc., Marne-la-Valee, France) and Kodak InSight film (Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY) for detecting proximal dental caries. Thirty extracted human upper premolars were selected. Of 60 surfaces, 25 had carious lesions in the form of small cavities, and the rest showed no evidence of caries as verified by a micro computed tomogram (micro CT; XCT Research SA+, Stratec Medizintechnik GmbH, Pforzheim, Germany). All teeth were radiographed with the paralleling technique (60 kV, 40 cm focus-to-sensor distance). Four combination modes (high-resolution caries mode-HRC; high-sensitivity caries mode-HSC; high-resolution periodontal mode-HRP; and high-resolution endo mode-HRE) were used. Exposure was set at 0.12 sec for HRC, 0.08 sec for HSC, 0.16 sec for HRP, 0.12 sec for HRE, and 0.16 sec for the Kodak InSight film. The resulting images were evaluated by three oral radiologists. The same three observers evaluated the digital images, and were allowed to use the contrast and brightness controls in doing so. Possible differences in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve areas among image modalities were assessed by the Friedman test. The mean ROC curve areas were 0.66±0.11 for HRC, 0.78±0.02 for HSC, 0.76±0.04 for HRE, 0.77±0.04 for HRP, and 0.71±0.09 for the Kodak InSight film. There were no statistically significant differences between HRC, HSC, HRE, HRP and the Kodak InSight film in terms of proximal caries detection. The four modes of RVG UI system are each a viable alternative to intraoral film for the detection of incipient dental caries. (author)

Microfabrication of magnetostrictive beams based on NiFe film doped with B and Mo for integrated sensor systems

KAUST Repository

Alfadhel, Ahmed; Gianchandani, Y.; Kosel, Jü rgen

2012-01-01

This paper reports the development of integrated micro-sensors consisting of 1 -µm-thick magnetostrictive cantilevers or bridges with 500 µm in length and conducting interrogation elements. The thin films are fabricated by sputter deposition of Ni

A novel design and analysis of a MEMS ceramic hot-wire anemometer for high temperature applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaiah, N R; Sleiti, A K; Rodriguez, S; Kapat, J S; An, L; Chow, L

2006-01-01

This paper attempts to prove the feasibility of high temperature MEMS hot-wire anemometer for gas turbine environment. No such sensor exists at present. Based on the latest improvement in a new type of Polymer-Derived Ceramic (PDC) material, the authors present a Novel design, structural and thermal analysis of MEMS hot-wire anemometer (HWA) based on PDC material, and show that such a sensor is indeed feasible. This MEMS Sensor is microfabricated by using three types of PDC materials such as SiAlCN, SiCN (lightly doped) and SiCN (heavily doped) for sensing element (hot-wire), support prongs and connecting leads respectively. This novel hot wire anemometer can perform better than a conventional HWA in which the hot wire is made of tungsten or platinum-iridium. This type of PDC-HWA can be used in harsh environment due to its high temperature resistance, tensile strength and resistance to oxidation. This HWA is fabricated using microstereolithography as a novel microfabrication technique to manufacture the proposed MEMS Sensor

Disaggregating Hot Water Use and Predicting Hot Water Waste in Five Test Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, H.; Wade, J.

2014-04-01

While it is important to make the equipment (or 'plant') in a residential hot water system more efficient, the hot water distribution system also affects overall system performance and energy use. Energy wasted in heating water that is not used is estimated to be on the order of 10 to 30 percent of total domestic hot water (DHW) energy use. This field monitoring project installed temperature sensors on the distribution piping (on trunks and near fixtures) and programmed a data logger to collect data at 5 second intervals whenever there was a hot water draw. This data was used to assign hot water draws to specific end uses in the home as well as to determine the portion of each hot water that was deemed useful (i.e., above a temperature threshold at the fixture). Five houses near Syracuse NY were monitored. Overall, the procedures to assign water draws to each end use were able to successfully assign about 50% of the water draws, but these assigned draws accounted for about 95% of the total hot water use in each home. The amount of hot water deemed as useful ranged from low of 75% at one house to a high of 91% in another. At three of the houses, new water heaters and distribution improvements were implemented during the monitoring period and the impact of these improvements on hot water use and delivery efficiency were evaluated.

Disaggregating Hot Water Use and Predicting Hot Water Waste in Five Test Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, Hugh [ARIES Collaborative, New York, NY (United States); Wade, Jeremy [ARIES Collaborative, New York, NY (United States)

2014-04-01

While it is important to make the equipment (or "plant") in a residential hot water system more efficient, the hot water distribution system also affects overall system performance and energy use. Energy wasted in heating water that is not used is estimated to be on the order of 10%-30% of total domestic hot water (DHW) energy use. This field monitoring project installed temperature sensors on the distribution piping (on trunks and near fixtures) in five houses near Syracuse, NY, and programmed a data logger to collect data at 5 second intervals whenever there was a hot water draw. This data was used to assign hot water draws to specific end uses in the home as well as to determine the portion of each hot water that was deemed useful (i.e., above a temperature threshold at the fixture). Overall, the procedures to assign water draws to each end use were able to successfully assign about 50% of the water draws, but these assigned draws accounted for about 95% of the total hot water use in each home. The amount of hot water deemed as useful ranged from low of 75% at one house to a high of 91% in another. At three of the houses, new water heaters and distribution improvements were implemented during the monitoring period and the impact of these improvements on hot water use and delivery efficiency were evaluated.

Fabrication of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistor-driven flexible thermal and pressure sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ick-Joon; Jeong, Chan-Yong; Song, Sang-Hun; Kwon, Hyuck-In; Cho, In-Tak; Lee, Jong-Ho; Cho, Eou-Sik; Kwon, Sang Jik; Kim, Bosul; Cheong, Woo-Seok

2012-01-01

In this work, we present the results concerning the use of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc–oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) as a driving transistor of the flexible thermal and pressure sensors which are applicable to artificial skin systems. Although the a-IGZO TFT has been attracting much attention as a driving transistor of the next-generation flat panel displays, no study has been performed about the application of this new device to the driving transistor of the flexible sensors yet. The proposed thermal sensor pixel is composed of the series-connected a-IGZO TFT and ZnO-based thermistor fabricated on a polished metal foil, and the ZnO-based thermistor is replaced by the pressure sensitive rubber in the pressure sensor pixel. In both sensor pixels, the a-IGZO TFT acts as the driving transistor and the temperature/pressure-dependent resistance of the ZnO-based thermistor/pressure-sensitive rubber mainly determines the magnitude of the output currents. The fabricated a-IGZO TFT-driven flexible thermal sensor shows around a seven times increase in the output current as the temperature increases from 20 °C to 100 °C, and the a-IGZO TFT-driven flexible pressure sensors also exhibit high sensitivity under various pressure environments. (paper)

Polymer based amperometric hydrogen sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramesh, C.; Periaswami, G.; Mathews, C.K.; Shankar, P.

1993-01-01

A polymer based amperometric hydrogen sensor has been developed for measuring hydrogen in argon. Polyvinyl alcohol-phosphoric acid serves as the solid electrolyte for proton conduction. The electrolyte is sandwiched between two palladium films. Short circuit current between the film at room temperature is measured and is found to be linearly dependant on hydrogen concentration in argon to which one side of the film is exposed. The other side is exposed to air. The response time of the sensor is found to be improved on application of a D.C. potential of 200 mV in series. The sensitivity of the sensor is in ppm range. This may be sufficient for monitoring cover gas hydrogen in FBTR. Work is underway to improve the long-term stability of the sensor. (author)

Surface plasmon resonance sensor for femtomolar detection of testosterone with water-compatible macroporous molecularly imprinted film.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qingwen; Jing, Lijing; Zhang, Jinling; Ren, Yamin; Wang, Yang; Wang, Yi; Wei, Tianxin; Liedberg, Bo

2014-10-15

A novel water-compatible macroporous molecularly imprinted film (MIF) has been developed for rapid, sensitive, and label-free detection of small molecule testosterone in urine. The MIF was synthesized by photo copolymerization of monomers (methacrylic acid [MAA] and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate [HEMA]), cross-linker (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, EGDMA), and polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) in combination with template testosterone molecules. The PS NPs and template molecules were subsequently removed to form an MIF with macroporous structures and the specific recognition sites of testosterone. Incubation of artificial urine and human urine on the MIF and the non-imprinted film (NIF), respectively, indicated undetectable nonspecific adsorption. Accordingly, the MIF was applied on a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for the detection of testosterone in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and artificial urine with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10(-15)g/ml. To the best of our knowledge, the LOD is considered as one of the lowest among the SPR sensors for the detection of small molecules. The control experiments performed with analogue molecules such as progesterone and estradiol demonstrated the good selectivity of this MIF for sensing testosterone. Furthermore, this MIF-based SPR sensor shows high stability and reproducibility over 8months of storage at room temperature, which is more robust than protein-based biosensors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase immobilized on nanostructured gold thin films and its application to bioelectrochemical glucose sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Cuicui; Wang Xia; Liu Xueying; Hou Shifeng; Ma Houyi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Au thin films are formed by electrodeposition and galvanic replacement technology. ► Glucose oxidase is stably immobilized via a simple physical adsorption method. ► The direct electrochemical behavior is obtained on the immobilized glucose oxidase. ► An amperometric sensor of glucose with an excellent sensing capability is achieved. - Abstract: Glucose oxidase (GOx) was stably immobilized via a simple physical adsorption method onto the nanostructured Au thin films fabricated by using electrodeposition and galvanic replacement technology, which provides a facile method to prepare morphology-controllable Au films and also facilitates the preparation and application of enzyme modified electrodes. An obvious advantage of the as-prepared enzyme electrode (denoted as GOx/Au/GCE) is that the nano-Au films provide a favorable microenvironment for GOx and facilitate the electron transfer between the active center of GOx and electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results indicate that the immobilized GOx displayed a direct, reversible and surface-confined redox reaction in the phosphate buffer solution. Furthermore, the enzyme modified electrode was used as a glucose bioelectrochemical sensor, exhibiting a linear relationship in the concentration ranges of 2.5–32.5 μmol L −1 and 60–130 μmol L −1 with a detection limit of 0.32 μmol L −1 (S/N = 3) at an applied potential of −0.55 V. Due to the excellent stability, sensitivity and anti-interference ability, the Au thin films are hopeful in the construction of glucose biosensors.

Characterization and application of a new pH sensor based on magnetron sputtered porous WO3 thin films deposited at oblique angles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salazar, Pedro; Garcia-Garcia, Francisco J.; Yubero, Francisco; Gil-Rostra, Jorge; González-Elipe, Agustín R.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A solid-state pH sensor based on WO 3 amorphous thin film electrode is reported. • Cyclic voltammetry and XRD confirmed the amorphous nature of tungsten. • Potentiometric response of the WO 3 electrode revealed a quasi-Nernstian behavior. • The interference of the most common ions (Li + , Na + , K + and NH 4 + ) was negligible. • A full solid state pH sensor is developed. - Abstract: In this communication we report about an outstanding solid-state pH sensor based on amorphous nanocolumnar porous thin film electrodes. Transparent WO 3 thin films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in an oblique angle configuration to enhance their porosity onto indium tin oxide (ITO) and screen printed electrodes (SPE). The potentiometric pH response of the nanoporous WO 3 -modified ITO electrode revealed a quasi-Nernstian behaviour, i.e. a linear working range from pH 1 to 12 with a slope of about −57.7 mV/pH. pH detection with this electrode was quite reproducible, displayed excellent anti-interference properties and a high stable response that remained unaltered over at least 3 months. Finally, a pH sensor was developed using nanoporous WO 3 -modified screen printed electrode (SPE) using a polypyrrole-modified Ag/AgCl electrode as internal reference electrode. This full solid state pH sensor presented a Nernstian behaviour with a slope of about −59 mV/pH and offered important analytical and operation advantages for decentralized pH measurements in different applications.

Quantifying oxygen in paper-based cell cultures with luminescent thin film sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyce, Matthew W; Kenney, Rachael M; Truong, Andrew S; Lockett, Matthew R

2016-04-01

Paper-based scaffolds are an attractive material for generating 3D tissue-like cultures because paper is readily available and does not require specialized equipment to pattern, cut, or use. By controlling the exchange of fresh culture medium with the paper-based scaffolds, we can engineer diffusion-dominated environments similar to those found in spheroids or solid tumors. Oxygen tension directly regulates cellular phenotype and invasiveness through hypoxia-inducible transcription factors and also has chemotactic properties. To date, gradients of oxygen generated in the paper-based cultures have relied on cellular response-based readouts. In this work, we prepared a luminescent thin film capable of quantifying oxygen tensions in apposed cell-containing paper-based scaffolds. The oxygen sensors, which are polystyrene films containing a Pd(II) tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin dye, are photostable, stable in culture conditions, and not cytotoxic. They have a linear response for oxygen tensions ranging from 0 to 160 mmHg O2, and a Stern-Volmer constant (K sv) of 0.239 ± 0.003 mmHg O2 (-1). We used these oxygen-sensing films to measure the spatial and temporal changes in oxygen tension for paper-based cultures containing a breast cancer line that was engineered to constitutively express a fluorescent protein. By acquiring images of the oxygen-sensing film and the fluorescently labeled cells, we were able to approximate the oxygen consumption rates of the cells in our cultures.

Highly Sensitive Electromechanical Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors Based on Large-Area Layered PtSe2 Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Stefan; Yim, Chanyoung; McEvoy, Niall; Kataria, Satender; Yokaribas, Volkan; Kuc, Agnieszka; Pindl, Stephan; Fritzen, Claus-Peter; Heine, Thomas; Duesberg, Georg S; Lemme, Max C

2018-05-23

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are ideal for micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) due to their ultimate thinness. Platinum diselenide (PtSe 2 ), an exciting and unexplored 2D transition metal dichalcogenide material, is particularly interesting because its low temperature growth process is scalable and compatible with silicon technology. Here, we report the potential of thin PtSe 2 films as electromechanical piezoresistive sensors. All experiments have been conducted with semimetallic PtSe 2 films grown by thermally assisted conversion of platinum at a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible temperature of 400 °C. We report high negative gauge factors of up to -85 obtained experimentally from PtSe 2 strain gauges in a bending cantilever beam setup. Integrated NEMS piezoresistive pressure sensors with freestanding PMMA/PtSe 2 membranes confirm the negative gauge factor and exhibit very high sensitivity, outperforming previously reported values by orders of magnitude. We employ density functional theory calculations to understand the origin of the measured negative gauge factor. Our results suggest PtSe 2 as a very promising candidate for future NEMS applications, including integration into CMOS production lines.

Ultra-Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on Flexible Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Piezoelectric Film

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Kai; Huang, Wen; Guo, Junxiong; Gong, Tianxun; Wei, Xiongbang; Lu, Bing-Wei; Liu, Si-Yi; Yu, Bin

2018-03-01

A flexible 4 × 4 sensor array with 16 micro-scale capacitive units has been demonstrated based on flexible piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film. The piezoelectricity and surface morphology of the PVDF were examined by optical imaging and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The PFM shows phase contrast, indicating clear interface between the PVDF and electrode. The electro-mechanical properties show that the sensor exhibits excellent output response and an ultra-high signal-to-noise ratio. The output voltage and the applied pressure possess linear relationship with a slope of 12 mV/kPa. The hold-and-release output characteristics recover in less than 2.5 μs, demonstrating outstanding electro-mechanical response. Additionally, signal interference between the adjacent arrays has been investigated via theoretical simulation. The results show the interference reduces with decreasing pressure at a rate of 0.028 mV/kPa, highly scalable with electrode size and becoming insignificant for pressure level under 178 kPa.

An SOI CMOS-Based Multi-Sensor MEMS Chip for Fluidic Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansoor, Mohtashim; Haneef, Ibraheem; Akhtar, Suhail; Rafiq, Muhammad Aftab; De Luca, Andrea; Ali, Syed Zeeshan; Udrea, Florin

2016-11-04

An SOI CMOS multi-sensor MEMS chip, which can simultaneously measure temperature, pressure and flow rate, has been reported. The multi-sensor chip has been designed keeping in view the requirements of researchers interested in experimental fluid dynamics. The chip contains ten thermodiodes (temperature sensors), a piezoresistive-type pressure sensor and nine hot film-based flow rate sensors fabricated within the oxide layer of the SOI wafers. The silicon dioxide layers with embedded sensors are relieved from the substrate as membranes with the help of a single DRIE step after chip fabrication from a commercial CMOS foundry. Very dense sensor packing per unit area of the chip has been enabled by using technologies/processes like SOI, CMOS and DRIE. Independent apparatuses were used for the characterization of each sensor. With a drive current of 10 µA-0.1 µA, the thermodiodes exhibited sensitivities of 1.41 mV/°C-1.79 mV/°C in the range 20-300 °C. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor was 0.0686 mV/(V excit kPa) with a non-linearity of 0.25% between 0 and 69 kPa above ambient pressure. Packaged in a micro-channel, the flow rate sensor has a linearized sensitivity of 17.3 mV/(L/min) -0.1 in the tested range of 0-4.7 L/min. The multi-sensor chip can be used for simultaneous measurement of fluid pressure, temperature and flow rate in fluidic experiments and aerospace/automotive/biomedical/process industries.

Flexible pressure sensor based on graphene aerogel microstructures functionalized with CdS nanocrystalline thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Plesco, Irina; Dragoman, Mircea; Strobel, Julian; Ghimpu, Lidia; Schütt, Fabian; Dinescu, Adrian; Ursaki, Veaceslav; Kienle, Lorenz; Adelung, Rainer; Tiginyanu, Ion

2018-05-01

In this paper, we report on functionalization of graphene aerogel with a CdS thin film deposited by magnetron sputtering and on the development of flexible pressure sensors based on ultra-lightweight CdS-aerogel nanocomposite. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis disclose the uniform deposition of nanocrystalline CdS films with quasi-stoichiometric composition. The piezoresistive response of the aforementioned nanocomposite in the pressure range from 1 to 5 atm is found to be more than one order of magnitude higher than that inherent to suspended graphene membranes, leading to an average sensitivity as high as 3.2 × 10-4 kPa-1.

Biomimetic actuator and sensor for robot hand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Baekchul; Chung, Jinah; Cho, Hanjoung; Shin, Seunghoon; Lee, Hyoungsuk; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Jachoon

2012-01-01

To manufacture a robot hand that essentially mimics the functions of a human hand, it is necessary to develop flexible actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose the design, manufacture, and performance verification of flexible actuators and sensors based on Electro Active Polymer (EAP). EAP is fabricated as a type of film, and it moves with changes in the voltage because of contraction and expansion in the polymer film. Furthermore, if a force is applied to an EAP film, its thickness and effective area change, and therefore, the capacitance also changes. By using this mechanism, we produce capacitive actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose an EAP based capacitive sensor and evaluate its use as a robot hand sensor

Biomimetic actuator and sensor for robot hand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Baekchul; Chung, Jinah; Cho, Hanjoung; Shin, Seunghoon; Lee, Hyoungsuk; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Jachoon [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2012-12-15

To manufacture a robot hand that essentially mimics the functions of a human hand, it is necessary to develop flexible actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose the design, manufacture, and performance verification of flexible actuators and sensors based on Electro Active Polymer (EAP). EAP is fabricated as a type of film, and it moves with changes in the voltage because of contraction and expansion in the polymer film. Furthermore, if a force is applied to an EAP film, its thickness and effective area change, and therefore, the capacitance also changes. By using this mechanism, we produce capacitive actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose an EAP based capacitive sensor and evaluate its use as a robot hand sensor.

Tandem solar cells deposited using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veen, M.K. van

2003-01-01

In this thesis, the application of the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique for the deposition of silicon thin films is described. The HWCVD technique is based on the dissociation of silicon-containing gasses at the catalytic surface of a hot filament. Advantages of this technique

Effect of ordered mesoporous carbon contact layer on the sensing performance of sputtered RuO2 thin film pH sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Lonsdale, W; Maurya, D K; Wajrak, M; Alameh, K

2017-03-01

The effect of contact layer on the pH sensing performance of a sputtered RuO 2 thin film pH sensor is investigated. The response of pH sensors employing RuO 2 thin film electrodes on screen-printed Pt, carbon and ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) contact layers are measured over a pH range from 4 to 10. Working electrodes with OMC contact layer are found to have Nernstian pH sensitivity (-58.4mV/pH), low short-term drift rate (5.0mV/h), low hysteresis values (1.13mV) and fast reaction times (30s), after only 1h of conditioning. A pH sensor constructed with OMC carbon contact layer displays improved sensing performance compared to Pt and carbon-based counterparts, making this electrode more attractive for applications requiring highly-accurate pH sensing with reduced conditioning time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of quartz crystal microbalance NO2 sensor coated with sputtered indium tin oxide film

Science.gov (United States)

Georgieva, V.; Aleksandrova, M.; Stefanov, P.; Grechnikov, A.; Gadjanova, V.; Dilova, T.; Angelov, Ts

2014-12-01

A study of NO2 gas sorption ability of thin indium tin oxide (ITO) deposited on 16 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is presented. ITO films are grown by RF sputtering of indium/tin target with weight proportion 95:5 in oxygen environment. The ITO films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The ITO surface composition in atomic % is defined to be: In-40.6%, Sn-4.3% and O-55%. The thickness and refractive index of the films are determined by ellipsometric method. The frequency shift of QCM-ITO is measured at different NO2 concentrations. The QCM-ITO system becomes sensitive at NO2 concentration >= 500 ppm. The sorbed mass for each concentration is calculated according the Sauerbrey equation. The results indicated that the 1.09 ng of the gas is sorbed into 150 nm thick ITO film at 500 ppm NO2 concentration. When the NO2 concentration increases 10 times the calculated loaded mass is 5.46 ng. The sorption process of the gas molecules is defined as reversible. The velocity of sorbtion /desorption processes are studied, too. The QCM coated with thin ITO films can be successfully used as gas sensors for detecting NO2 in the air at room temperature.

Study of quartz crystal microbalance NO2 sensor coated with sputtered indium tin oxide film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgieva, V; Gadjanova, V; Angelov, Ts; Aleksandrova, M; Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" data-affiliation=" (Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" >Stefanov, P; Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" data-affiliation=" (Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" >Dilova, T; Grechnikov, A

2014-01-01

A study of NO 2 gas sorption ability of thin indium tin oxide (ITO) deposited on 16 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is presented. ITO films are grown by RF sputtering of indium/tin target with weight proportion 95:5 in oxygen environment. The ITO films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The ITO surface composition in atomic % is defined to be: In-40.6%, Sn-4.3% and O-55%. The thickness and refractive index of the films are determined by ellipsometric method. The frequency shift of QCM-ITO is measured at different NO 2 concentrations. The QCM-ITO system becomes sensitive at NO 2 concentration ≥ 500 ppm. The sorbed mass for each concentration is calculated according the Sauerbrey equation. The results indicated that the 1.09 ng of the gas is sorbed into 150 nm thick ITO film at 500 ppm NO 2 concentration. When the NO 2 concentration increases 10 times the calculated loaded mass is 5.46 ng. The sorption process of the gas molecules is defined as reversible. The velocity of sorbtion /desorption processes are studied, too. The QCM coated with thin ITO films can be successfully used as gas sensors for detecting NO 2 in the air at room temperature

Light Path Model of Fiber Optic Liquid Level Sensor Considering Residual Liquid Film on the Wall

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhijun Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The working principle of the refractive-type fiber optic liquid level sensor is analyzed in detail based on the light refraction principle. The optic path models are developed in consideration of common simplification and the residual liquid film on the glass tube wall. The calculating formulae for the model are derived, constraint conditions are obtained, influencing factors are discussed, and the scopes and skills of application are analyzed through instance simulations. The research results are useful in directing the correct usage of the fiber optic liquid level sensor, especially in special cases, such as those involving viscous liquid in the glass tube monitoring.

Novel nanostructured oxygen sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Boardman, Alan James

New government regulations and industry requirements for medical oxygen sensors require the development of alternate materials and process optimization of primary sensor components. Current oxygen sensors are not compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. This work focused on two areas. First, was finding suitable readily available materials for the sensor anodes. Second was optimizing the processing of the sensor cathode membrane for reduced delamination. Oxygen sensors were made using tin (Sn) and bismuth (Bi) electrodes, potassium hydroxide (KOH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH) electrolytes with platinum (Pt) and gold (Au) reference electrodes. Bi electrodes were fabricated by casting and pressing processes. Electrochemical characterization of the Sn and Bi electrodes was performed by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and sensing characterization per BSEN ISO 21647:2009 at various oxygen percentages, 0%, 20.9% and 100% oxygen levels with an automated test apparatus. The Sn anode with both electrolyte solutions showed good oxygen sensing properties and performance in a sensor. This system shows promise for replacement of Pb electrodes as required by the RoHS Directive. The Bi anode with Au cathode in both KOH and CH3COOH electrolytes showed acceptable performance and oxygen sensing properties. The Bi anodes fabricated by separate manufacturing methods demonstrated effectiveness for use in medical oxygen sensors. Gold thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on Flouroethylene Polymer (FEP) films. The FEP substrate temperature ranged from -77°C to 50°C. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and 4-point resistivity characterized the effects of substrate temperature to Au thin film particle size. XRD peak broadening and resistivity measurements showed a strong correlation of particle size to FEP substrate temperature. Particle size at 50°C was 594A and the -77°C particle size was 2.4 x 103A. Substrate

Low-Temperature Solution Processable Electrodes for Piezoelectric Sensors Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Tuukkanen, Sampo; Julin, Tuomas; Rantanen, Ville; Zakrzewski, Mari; Moilanen, Pasi; Lupo, Donald

2013-05-01

Piezoelectric thin-film sensors are suitable for a wide range of applications from physiological measurements to industrial monitoring systems. The use of flexible materials in combination with high-throughput printing technologies enables cost-effective manufacturing of custom-designed, highly integratable piezoelectric sensors. This type of sensor can, for instance, improve industrial process control or enable the embedding of ubiquitous sensors in our living environment to improve quality of life. Here, we discuss the benefits, challenges and potential applications of piezoelectric thin-film sensors. The piezoelectric sensor elements are fabricated by printing electrodes on both sides of unmetallized poly(vinylidene fluoride) film. We show that materials which are solution processable in low temperatures, biocompatible and environmental friendly are suitable for use as electrode materials in piezoelectric sensors.

Preparation and characterization of the titanium dioxide thin films used for pH electrode and procaine drug sensor by sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Yihung; Chou, J.-C.

2009-01-01

We used titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) as the sensing layer of an ion selective pH sensor electrode, and as the substrate for a procaine drug sensitive membrane sensor. The TiO 2 thin films were prepared using sol-gel spin coating technology. We adopted the Ti(OC 4 H 9 ) 4 as the precursor, and added an ethanol solute to obtain the TiO 2 sol. The sol-gel was spun coated onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The drug sensitive membrane was coated on the TiO 2 film. We then measured the I DS -V G curves of the TiO 2 ion selective electrode (ISE) pH sensor in pH buffer solutions that had different pH concentrations using a Keithley 236 Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer instrument. The procaine concentration was measured from 10 -2 M to 10 -6 M with the drug sensitive membrane using a HP 34401A Digital Multimeter. We prepared the TiO 2 ISE pH sensor and obtained a high pH sensitivity of 58.73 mV/pH. Uniform TiO 2 films surface structures, with an average roughness (Ra) of 10.211 nm and root mean square roughness (Rms) of 13.01 nm were obtained. The drift effect of the titanium dioxide ion selective pH sensor electrode is 1.97 mV h -1 . The sensitivity of the procaine drug sensor is 55.03 mV pC -1 between 1.0 x 10 -2 mol L -1 and 1.0 x 10 -6 mol L -1 procaine concentrations. The detection limit is 5.0 x 10 -6 mol L -1 . The response time to reach 90% output voltage is 16 s. Forty seconds are required to reach 95% output voltage. The procaine drug sensor 1 x 10 -3 mol L -1 drift test is 3.64 mV h -1 and the variation in output voltage of the repeated measurement is less than 7.4 mV

Synthesis and Physical Properties of Nanocomposites (SnO2x(In2O31-x (x = 0 – 1 for Gas Sensors and Optoelectronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav REMBEZA

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Experimental results on synthesis of thin film (< 1 μm nanocomposites (SnO2x(In2O31-x in the whole range of x = (0 – 1 mass. % are presented. Film nanocomposites were prepared by high-frequency magnetron sputtering of metal oxide targets in the controlled ambient Ar+O2. Films were deposited on the hot substrate (400 0C and investigated by X-ray phase analysis, atomic-force microscopy, optical and electrical methods. Influence of synthesis regimes and film composition on the grain size of crystals, the band-gap width, the transparency in the visible range of light, concentration and mobility of free charge carriers were determined. It was shown that films with composition (SnO2x(In2O31-x x = 0.9 are perspective for using as gas sensors, films of the same composition but with x = 0.1 can be applied as transparent current conducting electrodes for solar cells.

Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Parathion Based on Electropolymerization Poly(Safranine Film Electrode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingyuan Liu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Parathion has been determined with voltammetric technique based on a novel sensor fabricated by electropolymerization of safranine on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE. The electrochemical behavior of poly(safranine film electrode and its electrocatalytic activity toward parathion were studied in detail by cyclic voltammetry (CV and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV. All experimental parameters were optimized, and LSV was proposed for its determination. In optimal working conditions, the reduction current of parathion at this poly(safranine-modified electrode exhibited a good linear relationship with parathion concentration in the range of 3.43×10−8 to 3.43×10−5 mol L−1. The detection limit was 1.0×10−8 mol L−1. The high sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor were demonstrated by its practical application for the determination of trace amounts of parathion in fruit samples.

Thin-Film Quantum Dot Photodiode for Monolithic Infrared Image Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Malinowski, Pawel E; Georgitzikis, Epimitheas; Maes, Jorick; Vamvaka, Ioanna; Frazzica, Fortunato; Van Olmen, Jan; De Moor, Piet; Heremans, Paul; Hens, Zeger; Cheyns, David

2017-12-10

Imaging in the infrared wavelength range has been fundamental in scientific, military and surveillance applications. Currently, it is a crucial enabler of new industries such as autonomous mobility (for obstacle detection), augmented reality (for eye tracking) and biometrics. Ubiquitous deployment of infrared cameras (on a scale similar to visible cameras) is however prevented by high manufacturing cost and low resolution related to the need of using image sensors based on flip-chip hybridization. One way to enable monolithic integration is by replacing expensive, small-scale III-V-based detector chips with narrow bandgap thin-films compatible with 8- and 12-inch full-wafer processing. This work describes a CMOS-compatible pixel stack based on lead sulfide quantum dots (PbS QD) with tunable absorption peak. Photodiode with a 150-nm thick absorber in an inverted architecture shows dark current of 10 -6 A/cm² at -2 V reverse bias and EQE above 20% at 1440 nm wavelength. Optical modeling for top illumination architecture can improve the contact transparency to 70%. Additional cooling (193 K) can improve the sensitivity to 60 dB. This stack can be integrated on a CMOS ROIC, enabling order-of-magnitude cost reduction for infrared sensors.

Structural phase change and optical band gap bowing in hot wall deposited CdSe{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muthukumarasamy, N. [Department of Physics, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (India); Jayakumar, S.; Kannan, M.D.; Balasundaraprabhu, R. [Thin Film Center, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (India)

2009-04-15

CdSe{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} thin films of different compositions have been deposited on glass substrates by hot wall deposition method under conditions very close to thermodynamical equilibrium with minimum loss of material. The structural studies carried out on the deposited films revealed that they are crystalline in nature and exhibit either cubic zinc blende or hexagonal phase or both depending on the composition of the material. The lattice parameter values for both cubic and hexagonal phases have been determined and are observed to vary with composition according to Vegard's law. The optical properties of the deposited CdSe{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} thin films have been studied using transmittance spectra. The spectra shows a sharp fall in transmittance at wavelength corresponding to the band gap of the material. The optical band gap has been determined and found to be direct allowed. The band gap has been observed to strongly depend on film composition. The variation of band gap with composition has been observed to be quadratic in nature exhibiting a bowing behaviour. (author)

Advanced Magnetoimpedance Sensors

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong

2015-02-01

This thesis is concerned with the advanced topics of thin film magnetoimpedance (MI) sensors. The author proposes and develops novel MI sensors that target on the challenges arising from emerging applications such as flexible electronics, passive wireless sensing, etc. In the study of flexible MI sensor, the investigated sensors of NiFe/Cu/NiFe tri-layersare fabricated on three flexible substrates having different surface roughness: Kapton, standard and premiumphotopaper. Sensitivity versus substrate roughness analysis is carried out for the selection of optimal substrate material. The high magnetic sensing performance is achieved by using Kapton substrate. Stress simulation, incorporated with the theory of magnetostriction effect, reveals the material composition of Ni/Fe being as a key factor of the stress dependent MI effect for the flexible MI sensors. In the development of MI-SAW device for passive wireless magnetic field sensing, NiFe/Cu/NiFe tri-layersand interdigital transducers(IDT) are designed and fabricated on a single piece of LiNbO3substrate, providing a high degree of integration and the advantage of standard microfabrication. The double-electrodeIDT has been utilized and proven to have an optimal sensing performance in comparison to the bi-directional IDT design. The optimized high frequency performance of the thin film MI sensor results in a MI-SAW passive wireless magnetic sensor with high magnetic sensitivity comparing to the MI microwire approach. Benefiting from the high degree of integration of the MI thin film element, in the following study, two additional sensing elements are integrated to the SAW device to have a multifunctional passive wireless sensor with extended temperature and humidity sensing capabilities. Analytical models havebeen developed to eliminate the crossovers of different sensing signals through additional reference IDTs, resulting in a multifunctional passive wireless sensor with the capability of detecting all three

Parallel Microcracks-based Ultrasensitive and Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Amjadi, Morteza; Turan, Mehmet; Clementson, Cameron P; Sitti, Metin

2016-03-02

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11,344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

HotMobile 2008: Postconference Report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hong, J.; Lindqvist, J.; Pawar, P.; Stuntebeck, E.

2008-01-01

HotMobile 2008 presented a two-day program on mobile computing systems and applications. The authors focuses on the sessions on sensors, modularity, wireless, security, systems, and screens. The mobile device is the most amazing invention in history and that it has had the largest impact on human

An SOI CMOS-Based Multi-Sensor MEMS Chip for Fluidic Applications †

Science.gov (United States)

Mansoor, Mohtashim; Haneef, Ibraheem; Akhtar, Suhail; Rafiq, Muhammad Aftab; De Luca, Andrea; Ali, Syed Zeeshan; Udrea, Florin

2016-01-01

An SOI CMOS multi-sensor MEMS chip, which can simultaneously measure temperature, pressure and flow rate, has been reported. The multi-sensor chip has been designed keeping in view the requirements of researchers interested in experimental fluid dynamics. The chip contains ten thermodiodes (temperature sensors), a piezoresistive-type pressure sensor and nine hot film-based flow rate sensors fabricated within the oxide layer of the SOI wafers. The silicon dioxide layers with embedded sensors are relieved from the substrate as membranes with the help of a single DRIE step after chip fabrication from a commercial CMOS foundry. Very dense sensor packing per unit area of the chip has been enabled by using technologies/processes like SOI, CMOS and DRIE. Independent apparatuses were used for the characterization of each sensor. With a drive current of 10 µA–0.1 µA, the thermodiodes exhibited sensitivities of 1.41 mV/°C–1.79 mV/°C in the range 20–300 °C. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor was 0.0686 mV/(Vexcit kPa) with a non-linearity of 0.25% between 0 and 69 kPa above ambient pressure. Packaged in a micro-channel, the flow rate sensor has a linearized sensitivity of 17.3 mV/(L/min)−0.1 in the tested range of 0–4.7 L/min. The multi-sensor chip can be used for simultaneous measurement of fluid pressure, temperature and flow rate in fluidic experiments and aerospace/automotive/biomedical/process industries. PMID:27827904

Flush mounting of thin film sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Thomas C., Sr. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

Flush mounting of a sensor on a surface is provided by first forming a recessed area on the surface. Next, an adhesive bonding mixture is introduced into the recessed area. The adhesive bonding mixture is chosen to provide thermal expansion matching with the surface surrounding the recessed area. A strip of high performance polymeric tape is provided, with the sensor attached to the underside thereof, and the tape is positioned over the recessed area so that it acts as a carrier of the sensor. A shim having flexibility so that it will conform to the surface surrounding the recessed area is placed over the tape, and a vacuum pad is placed over the shim. The area above the surface is then evacuated while holding the sensor flush with the surface during curing of the adhesive bonding mixture. After such curing, the pad, shim, and tape are removed from the sensor, electrical connections for the sensor are provided, after which the remaining space in the recessed area is filled with a polymeric foam.

Overview of recent developments in organic thin-film transistor sensor technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanese, M.C.; Marinelli, F.; Angione, D.; Torsi, L.

2008-01-01

Bio and chemical sensing represents one of the most attractive applications of organic electronics and of Organic Thin Film Transistors(OTFTs) in particular. The implementation of miniaturized portable systems for the detection of chemical analytes as well as of biological species, is still a challenge for the sensor' community. In this respect OTFTs appear as a new class of sensors able, in principle, to overcome some of the commercial sensors drawbacks. As far as volatile analytes are concerned, commercially available sensing systems, such as metal oxide based chemi-resistors, offer great stability but rather poor selectivity. In spite of the improved selectivity offered by organic chemi-resistors the reliability of such devices is not yet satisfactory proven. On the other hand, complex odors recognition, but also explosives or pathogen bacteria detection are currently being addressed by sensor array systems, called e-noses, that try to mimic the mammalian olfactory system. Even though potentially very effective, this technology has not yet reached the performance level required by the market mostly because miniaturization and cost effective production issues. OTFT sensors can offer the advantage of room temperature operation and deliver high repeatable responses. Beside, they show very good selectivity properties. In fact, they implement organic active layers, which behave as sensing layers as well. This improves OTFTs sensitivity towards different chemical and biological analytes as organic materials can be properly chemically tailored to achieve differential detection and potentially even discrimination of biological species. In addiction to this, OTFTs are also able to offer the unique advantages of multi-parametric response and a gate bias enhanced sensitivity. Recently thin dielectric low-voltage OTFTs have also been demonstrated. Their implementation in low power consumption devices has attracted the attention of the organic electronic community. But such

Developments in hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrant, Steven F.; Trasferetti, Benedito C.; Scarminio, Jair; Davanzo, Celso U.; Rouxinol, Francisco P.M.; Gelamo, Rogerio V.; Bica de Moraes, Mario A.

2008-01-01

Hot-filament metal oxide deposition (HFMOD) is a variant of conventional hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) recently developed in our laboratory and successfully used to obtain high-quality, uniform films of MO x , WO x and VO x . The method employs the controlled oxidation of a filament of a transition metal heated to 1000 deg. C or more in a rarefied oxygen atmosphere (typically, of about 1 Pa). Metal oxide vapor formed on the surface of the filament is transported a few centimetres to deposit on a suitable substrate. Key system parameters include the choice of filament material and diameter, the applied current and the partial pressures of oxygen in the chamber. Relatively high film deposition rates, such as 31 nm min -1 for MoO x , are obtained. The film stoichiometry depends on the exact deposition conditions. MoO x films, for example, present a mixture of MoO 2 and MoO 3 phases, as revealed by XPS. As determined by Li + intercalation using an electrochemical cell, these films also show a colouration efficiency of 19.5 cm 2 C -1 at a wavelength of 700 nm. MO x and WO x films are promising in applications involving electrochromism and characteristics of their colouring/bleaching cycles are presented. The chemical composition and structure of VO x films examined using IRRAS (infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy), RBS (Rutherford backscattering spectrometry) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectrometry) are also presented

Plasmonic photocatalytic reactions enhanced by hot electrons in a one-dimensional quantum well

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. J. Huang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The plasmonic endothermic oxidation of ammonium ions in a spinning disk reactor resulted in light energy transformation through quantum hot charge carriers (QHC, or quantum hot electrons, during a chemical reaction. It is demonstrated with a simple model that light of various intensities enhance the chemical oxidization of ammonium ions in water. It was further observed that light illumination, which induces the formation of plasmons on a platinum (Pt thin film, provided higher processing efficiency compared with the reaction on a bare glass disk. These induced plasmons generate quantum hot electrons with increasing momentum and energy in the one-dimensional quantum well of a Pt thin film. The energy carried by the quantum hot electrons provided the energy needed to catalyze the chemical reaction. The results indicate that one-dimensional confinement in spherical coordinates (i.e., nanoparticles is not necessary to provide an extra excited state for QHC generation; an 8 nm Pt thin film for one-dimensional confinement in Cartesian coordinates can also provide the extra excited state for the generation of QHC.

Flow behavior of polymers during the roll-to-roll hot embossing process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Yujun; Yi, Peiyun; Peng, Linfa; Lai, Xinmin; Lin, Zhongqin

2015-01-01

The roll-to-roll (R2R) hot embossing process is a recent advancement in the micro hot embossing process and is capable of continuously fabricating micro/nano-structures on polymers, with a high efficiency and a high throughput. However, the fast forming of the R2R hot embossing process limits the time for material flow and results in complicated flow behavior in the polymers. This study presents a fundamental investigation into the flow behavior of polymers and aims towards the comprehensive understanding of the R2R hot embossing process. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model based on the viscoelastic model of polymers is established and validated for the fabrication of micro-pyramids using the R2R hot embossing process. The deformation and recovery of micro-pyramids on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film are analyzed in the filling stage and the demolding stage, respectively. Firstly, in the analysis of the filling stage, the temperature distribution on the PVC film is discussed. A large temperature gradient is observed along the thickness direction of the PVC film and the temperature of the top surface is found to be higher than that of the bottom surface, due to the poor thermal conductivity of PVC. In addition, creep strains are demonstrated to depend highly on the temperature and are also observed to concentrate on the top layer of the PVC film because of high local temperature. In the demolding stage, the recovery of the embossed micro-pyramids is obvious. The cooling process is shown to be efficient for the reduction of recovery, especially when the mold temperature is high. In conclusion, this research advances the understanding of the flow behavior of polymers in the R2R hot embossing process and might help in the development of the highly accurate and highly efficient fabrication of microstructures on polymers. (paper)

Fabrication of SnO2-Reduced Graphite Oxide Monolayer-Ordered Porous Film Gas Sensor with Tunable Sensitivity through Ultra-Violet Light Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Shipu; Sun, Fengqiang; Yang, Shumin; Pan, Zizhao; Long, Jinfeng; Gu, Fenglong

2015-01-01

A new graphene-based composite structure, monolayer-ordered macroporous film composed of a layer of orderly arranged macropores, was reported. As an example, SnO2-reduced graphite oxide monolayer-ordered macroporous film was fabricated on a ceramic tube substrate under the irradiation of ultra-violet light (UV), by taking the latex microsphere two-dimensional colloid crystal as a template. Graphite oxide sheets dispersed in SnSO4 aqueous solution exhibited excellent affinity with template microspheres and were in situ incorporated into the pore walls during UV-induced growth of SnO2. The growing and the as-formed SnO2, just like other photocatalytic semiconductor, could be excited to produce electrons and holes under UV irradiation. Electrons reduced GO and holes adsorbed corresponding negative ions, which changed the properties of the composite film. This film was directly used as gas-sensor and was able to display high sensitivity in detecting ethanol gas. More interestingly, on the basis of SnO2-induced photochemical behaviours, this sensor demonstrated tunable sensitivity when UV irradiation time was controlled during the fabrication process and post in water, respectively. This study provides efficient ways of conducting the in situ fabrication of a semiconductor-reduced graphite oxide film device with uniform surface structure and controllable properties. PMID:25758292

Low-Power Silicon-based Thermal Sensors and Actuators for Chemical Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vereshchagina, E.

2011-01-01

In the Hot Silicon project low and ultra-low-power Si-based hot surface devices have been developed, i.e. thermal sensors and actuators, for application in catalytic gas micro sensors, micro- and nano- calorimeters. This work include several scientific and technological aspects: • Design and

Iridium Oxide-reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid Thin Film Modified Screen-printed Electrodes as Disposable Electrochemical Paper Microfluidic pH Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jiang; Kwak, Tae-Joon; Zhang, Xiaodong; McClain, Robert; Chang, Woo-Jin; Gunasekaran, Sundaram

2016-11-22

A facile, controllable, inexpensive and green electrochemical synthesis of IrO2-graphene nanohybrid thin films is developed to fabricate an easy-to-use integrated paper microfluidic electrochemical pH sensor for resource-limited settings. Taking advantages from both pH meters and strips, the pH sensing platform is composed of hydrophobic barrier-patterned paper micropad (µPAD) using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with IrO2-graphene films and molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic holder. Repetitive cathodic potential cycling was employed for graphene oxide (GO) reduction which can completely remove electrochemically unstable oxygenated groups and generate a 2D defect-free homogeneous graphene thin film with excellent stability and electronic properties. A uniform and smooth IrO2 film in nanoscale grain size is anodically electrodeposited onto the graphene film, without any observable cracks. The resulting IrO2-RGO electrode showed slightly super-Nernstian responses from pH 2-12 in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffers with good linearity, small hysteresis, low response time and reproducibility in different buffers, as well as low sensitivities to different interfering ionic species and dissolved oxygen. A simple portable digital pH meter is fabricated, whose signal is measured with a multimeter, using high input-impedance operational amplifier and consumer batteries. The pH values measured with the portable electrochemical paper-microfluidic pH sensors were consistent with those measured using a commercial laboratory pH meter with a glass electrode.

Techniques for hot embossing microstructures on liquid silicone rubbers with fillers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vudayagiri, Sindhu; Yu, Liyun; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

2015-01-01

Embossing is an established process for the thermoplastic elastomers but not yet for the thermosetting elastomers. It has already been shown that hot embossing is a viable technology for imprinting microstructures in addition to curing thin silicone films at their gel point. It is one of the simp......Embossing is an established process for the thermoplastic elastomers but not yet for the thermosetting elastomers. It has already been shown that hot embossing is a viable technology for imprinting microstructures in addition to curing thin silicone films at their gel point. It is one...

Imprinted sol-gel electrochemical sensor for the determination of benzylpenicillin based on Fe3O4/SiO2 multi-walled carbon nanotubes-chitosans nanocomposite film modified carbon electrode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Yufang; Li Jiaxing; Zhang Zhaohui; Zhang Huabin; Luo Lijuan; Yao Shouzhuo

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: A novel imprinted sol-gel electrochemical sensor based on Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 -MWNTs-CTS nanocomposite film and a thin MIP film has been developed on a carbon electrode. Highlights: → A novel imprinted sol-gel electrochemical sensor based on Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 -MWNTs-CTS nanocomposites has been developed. → Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 -MWNTs-CTS nanocomposites act as 'electronic wires' to enhance the electron transfer. → The inherent specificity of the MIPs brings about highly selectivity. The imprinted sensor detects benzylpenicillin in real samples successfully. - Abstract: Herein, a novel imprinted sol-gel electrochemical sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) doped with chitosan film on a carbon electrode has been developed. Prior to doped, the MWNTs have been decorated with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles which have been coated uniformly with SiO 2 layer. The characterization of imprinted sensor has been carried out by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The performance of the proposed imprinted sensor has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The imprinted sensor offers a fast response and sensitive benzylpenicillin quantification. The fabricated benzylpenicillin imprinted sensor exhibits a linear response from 5.0 x 10 -8 to 1.0 x 10 -3 mol L -1 with a detection limit of 1.5 x 10 -9 mol L -1 . For samples analysis, perfect recoveries of the imprinted sensor for benzylpenicillin indicated that the imprinted sensor was able to detect benzylpenicillin in real samples successfully.