Patent Application
20080196478
Embodiments are generally related to gas sensors. Embodiments are also related to acoustic wave devices and sensors. Embodiments are additionally related to acoustic wave based CO2 gas sensors.
Gas sensors are needed to detect, measure and control gas concentrations in the context of, for example, exhaust emissions from various transport vehicles, oil fired furnaces, combustion processes, cabin air quality, air quality monitoring in air conditioned rooms and conference halls, and so forth. Metal oxide semiconductor and/or electrochemical based sensors are well developed for these purposes. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) based sensors, for example, are becoming popular because of their low power consumption, ease of fabrication and low cost to operate and produce.
Some SAW devices can function at elevated temperatures, which make these devices desirable for many applications. Acoustic wave sensors are so named because they use a mechanical or acoustic wave as the sensing mechanism. As the acoustic wave propagates through or on the surface of the material, any changes to the characteristics of the propagation path affect the velocity and/or amplitude of the wave.
The surface acoustic wave gas sensor uses a sensitive film coated on a sensitive substance which can readily absorb/adsorb the desirable substance to be detected. The sensitive film must possess a high sensitivity so as to be responsive to the presence of the substance, i.e., exhibit a low detection limit. Further, the sensitive film must retain its high sensitivity property relative to the gas to be detected, and it should also be able to detect the gas as quickly as possible.
Zeolites (or molecular sieves) or analogous molecular sieves show diverse chemical and physical properties depending on their chemical composition, structure, pre-treatment method, etc. A modified zeolite in which protons are replaced with other cations is widely used as a cracking catalyst of crude oil in the petrochemical industry, due to its resistance to high temperatures. Further, zeolites are widely used as a water-absorbing drying agent, adsorbent, gas-purifying agent, ion exchanger, additives for detergent, soil improving agent or the like.
In one prior art approach the synthesis of faujastic-Metglas composite material that can be used in gas sensing application is described. In this prior art continuous faujasite (large-pore zeolite) film was synthesized on a Metglas magneto elastic strip using secondary growth method. The ability of the composite to remotely sense carbon dioxide in nitrogen atmosphere at room temperature over a wide range of concentrations is demonstrated by monitoring the changes in the resonance frequency of the strip.
Zeolites can also be used to adsorb a particular gas species depending on the shape and size of the gas molecules. It is believed that the selectivity and sensitivity of zeolites can be improved by doping transition metals into the zeolite structure and thereby increase the catalytic activity for a particular gas.
The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the embodiments disclosed and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the embodiments can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
It is, therefore, one aspect of the present invention to provide for an improved surface acoustic wave (SAW) based CO2 gas sensor.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide for a gas sensor with zeolites and/or zeolites doped into a metal oxide semiconductor as a sensing substrate.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide for a gas sensor with zeolites or a zeolite-based sensing substrate that is implemented as a thin or thick film.
The aforementioned aspects and other objectives and advantages can now be achieved as described herein. An acoustic wave gas sensor and a method of forming and operating the same are disclosed. In general, the acoustic wave gas sensor can be configured using a piezoelectric substrate. A pair of interdigital transducers can be configured upon the piezoelectric substrate. A gas sensitive layer can then be configured in association with the interdigital transducers upon the piezoelectric substrate from a plurality of zeolites and/or zeolites doped with transition metals, thereby providing the acoustic wave gas sensor. The pair of interdigital transducers can be arranged a comb-type configuration upon one side of the piezoelectric substrate. Additionally, a layer of nano-crystalline powders can be applied on the SAW devices such that the nano-crystalline powders of zeolites dispersed in a suitable solvent can form a coating on the SAW device formed on the piezoelectric substrate.
Zeolites can thus be utilized “as is” and/or doped into metal oxide semiconductor materials such as, for example, TiO2, ZnO, SnO2, and the like, in order to vary the sensitivity with respect to various gases. Zeolites can be made as thin or thick films by employing nanopowders in suitable dispersants. The addition of zeolites, catalytically modified with chromium, results in a controlled selectivity to alkanes based on shape and size effects. The cracking patterns of n-alkanes over Cr-zeolite Y and Cr-zeolite β between 200° C. and 400° C., for example, have been ascertained using a novel system involving a heated zeolite bed, thermal desorber and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) The findings correlate with discrimination shown when the respective zeolites are incorporated as a catalytic layer on chromium titanium oxide (CTO) gas sensors used in a proprietary sensor array system to ascertain their suitability for inclusion into an electronic nose of a gas sensor.
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the embodiments and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the embodiments disclosed herein.
The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least one embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.
The piezoelectric substrate 110 can convert an electrical signal 160 into a mechanical surface acoustic wave 150, and then convert the surface acoustic wave 150 into an electrical signal 170 as depicted in
By applying an alternating current (AC) voltage to the input IDT 130, an acoustic wave can be generated at the piezoelectric substrate 110. The acoustic wave can then be transmitted to the output IDT 140 through the surface of the piezoelectric substrate 110. When predetermined gases are absorbed/adsorbed on the sensitive layer 120, which is formed on the piezoelectric substrate 110 to increase the mass thereof, the frequency of the acoustic wave or amplitude of the acoustic wave150 can be varied to confirm whether a predetermined gas is present.
Generally, the types of substances utilized as the sensitive layer 120 can be variable with respect to the kinds of gases to be detected. In order to enable the SAW gas sensor 100 to detect CO2, the sensitive layer 120 can be configured with zeolites or zeolites doped with transition metals. To improve the selectivity and also to improve the sensitivity of the sensor 100, transition metals can be doped into the Zeolite structure to increase the catalytic activity for a particular gas. Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu can be selected, for example, to increase the selectivity with respect to different gases. The temperature of sensor 100 can be varied from an ambient temperature to, for example, approximately 400° C. to enhance the recovery time.
The sensitive layer 120 can be provided with zeolites as thin and/or thick films, which can be configured by employing zeolites and/or zeolites doped with transition metals as nanopowders in a suitable dispersant. The addition of zeolites, catalytically modified with chromium, results in a controlled selectivity to alkanes based on shape and size effects. The cracking patterns of n-alkanes over Cr-zeolite Y and Cr-zeolite β between 200° C. and 400° C., for example, can be ascertained using a novel system involving a heated zeolite bed, thermal desorber and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) GCMS is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. The findings correlate with a discrimination shown when the respective zeolites are incorporated as a catalytic layer in association with chromium titanium oxide (CTO) gas sensors. The experiment can be carried out with a proprietary sensor array system in order to ascertain their suitability for inclusion into an electronic nose.
Referring to
Next, as depicted at block 330, the velocity of the SAW traveling across the zeolite layer can be changed due to the mass loading effect and or electro-acoustic interaction or acousto-elastic effect that can be explained as follows. The gas absorbed by the sensitive layer increases the mass of the sensitive layer of sensor 100 and/or 200 and changes the wave frequency and/or attenuation. The change in frequency has been shown to be a direct function of the amount of gas absorbed/adsorbed. Finally, as depicted at block 340, an output signal can be changed corresponding to a percentage of CO2 adsorbed/absorbed.
It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
