Claims
- 1. A method of preparing a thermal sensor device comprising:
formation of a thermal sensing material using nanostructured powders; formation of a structure from said sensing material that can support its own weight and retain its shape even when the environment changes; and electroding the thermal sensor device.
- 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sintering said sensing material to increase the material's density and structural strength.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein sintering of said sensing material occurs before the step of the formation of a structure from said sensing material that can support its own weight and retain its shape even when the environment changes.
- 4. The method of claim 2, wherein sintering of said sensing material occurs after the step of electroding the thermal sensor device.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensing material is formed from a nanomaterial composition selected from the group consisting of ceramics, metals, metal alloys, polymers, and composites.
- 6. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are oxides.
- 7. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are selected from the group consisting of binary oxides, ternary oxides, quaternary oxides, polyatomic forms of oxides, carbides, nitrides, borides, chalcongenides, halides, suicides, and phosphides.
- 8. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are stoichiometric.
- 9. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are non-stoichiometric.
- 10. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are doped.
- 11. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are undoped.
- 12. The ceramics of claim 5, wherein said ceramics are different phases of the same composition.
- 13. The alloys of claim 5, wherein said alloys are formed from a combination of two or more s group, p group, d group and f group elements of the periodic table.
- 14. The metals and alloys of claim 5, wherein said metals and alloys have a finite and detectable impedance.
- 15. The polymers of claim 5, wherein said polymers contain functional groups that enhance selectivity.
- 16. The polymers of claim 5, wherein said polymers are selected from the group consisting of conducting polymers, metal filled polymers, conducting ceramic filled polymers, and ion-beam treated polymers.
- 17. The composites of claim 5, wherein said composites are selected from the group consisting of oxide-carbide composites, oxide-polymer composites, metal filled polymer composites, nitride-alloy composites, defect engineered composites, and oxide-carbide-polymer composites.
- 18. The nanomaterial composition of claim 5, wherein the compositions are selected for device applications that provide log linear but high sloped voltage-current characteristics and resistance temperature characteristics.
- 19. The nanomaterial composition of claim 5, wherein the compositions are selected to yield a high value of the material constant beta.
- 20. The nanomaterial composition of claim 5, wherein the compositions selected preferably yield a beta value greater than 10, more preferably greater than 100, even more preferably greater than 1000, and most preferably greater than 10,000.
- 21. The nanomaterial composition of claim 5, wherein the compositions selected preferably yield an alpha value greater than 0.01% per ° C., more preferably greater than 0.1% per ° C., even more preferably greater than 1% per ° C., and most preferably greater than 10% per ° C.
- 22. The nanomaterial composition of claim 5, wherein the composition is preferably an oxide ceramic composition based on one or more of the following elements: Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, An, Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Ta, W, Sc, V, Co, In, Li, Hf, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, Ce, Pr, Be, Np, Pa, Gd, Dy, Os, Pt, Pd, Ag, Eu, Er, Yb, Ba, Ga, Cs, Na, K, Mg, Pm, Pr, Bi, Tl, Ir, Rb, Ca, La, Ac, Re, Hg, Cd, As, Th, Nd, Tb, Md, and Au, Al, Si, Ge, B, Te, and Se.
- 23. The method of claim 1, wherein said thermal sensing material is shaped into a form selected from the group consisting of a film, coil, rod, fiber, sphere, cylinder, bead, pellet, non-uniform shape and combination thereof.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in a solid form.
- 25. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in a hollow form.
- 26. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in a monolithic form.
- 27. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in an integrated form.
- 28. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in a singular form.
- 29. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is in an array form.
- 30. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is on a substrate.
- 31. The method of claim 30, wherein said substrate is non-flexible.
- 32. The method of claim 30, wherein said substrate is an inorganic substrate.
- 33. The method of claim 30, wherein said substrate is an organic substrate.
- 34. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal sensing material is not on a substrate.
- 35. The method of claim 1, wherein the method used for shaping the thermal sensing material into a form is selected from the group comprising of pressing, extrusion, molding, screen printing, tape casting, spraying, doctor blading, sputtering, vapor deposition, epitaxy, electrochemical deposition, electrophoretic deposition, thermophoretic deposition, centrifugal forming, magnetic deposition, and stamping.
- 36. The method of claim 1, wherein in performing the step of electroding the material, the electrode type can be selected from the group consisting of a wire, plate, coil, straight, curved, smooth, rough, wavy, thin, thick, solid, hollow, flexible, non-flexible.
- 37. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sintering is accomplished in an open heating apparatus.
- 38. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sintering is accomplished in a closed heating apparatus.
- 39. The method of claim 2, wherein the atmosphere for the step of sintering the sensing material is an oxidizing atmosphere.
- 40. The method of claim 2, wherein the atmosphere for the step of sintering the sensing material is a reducing atmosphere.
- 41. The method of claim 2, wherein the atmosphere for the step of sintering the sensing material is an inert atmosphere.
- 42. A method of monitoring thermal state changes comprising the steps of:
measuring the electrical property or change in electrical property using a thermal sensor device prepared from nanostructured materials; and correlating the measurement of the electrical property or the change in electrical property to the thermal state.
- 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the electrical property is selected from the group consisting of impedance, resistivity, capacitance, inductance and a combination of said properties.
- 44. The method of claim 42, wherein said thermal state changes are monitored in less than 5 seconds.
- 45. The method of claim 42, wherein said thermal state changes are monitored in less than 1 second.
- 46. The method of claim 42, wherein the temperature of a medium is monitored.
- 47. The method of claim 42, wherein the radiation is monitored.
- 48. The method of claim 42, wherein the flow of a medium is monitored.
- 49. The method of claim 42, wherein the change in the state of the medium is monitored.
- 50. The method of claim 42, wherein the absence of a change in the temperature of a medium is monitored.
- 51. The method of claim 42, wherein the absence of a change in radiation is monitored.
- 52. The method of claim 42, wherein the absence of a change in flow of a medium is monitored.
- 53. The method of claim 42, wherein the absence of a change in the state of a medium is monitored.
- 54. A thermal sensor device capable of monitoring thermal changes in less than 5 seconds.
- 55. The thermal sensor device of claim 54 produced by the process of claim 1.
- 56. A thermal sensor device capable of monitoring thermal changes in less than 1 second.
- 57. The thermal sensor device of claim 56 produced by the process of claim 1.
- 58. A thermal sensor comprising:
a sensor body formed from nanostructured powders, the sensor body having a detectable resistance which varies as a function of temperature, and electrodes in electrical contact with the sensor body.
- 59. The thermal sensor of claim 58, wherein said thermal sensor is capable of monitoring thermal changes in less than 5 seconds.
- 60. The thermal sensor of claim 58, wherein said thermal sensor is capable of monitoring thermal changes in less than 1 second.
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] The present application claims priority to an earlier filed provisional application entitled “Thermal Sensors Prepared from Nanostructured Powders” which was filed on Oct. 21, 1997.