(Sensor Division Outstanding Achievement Award Presentation) Ceramic Gas Sensors to Oxide Nanostructures: Opportunities and Challenges

• Published in: ECS transactions 2013-03, Vol.50 (12), p.119-128
• Main Author: Akbar, Sheikh A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1938-5862; 1938-6737
• DOI: 10.1149/05012.0119ecst

This article summarizes R&D efforts in the author's laboratory starting with the development of ceramic-based gas sensors to the fabrication of ordered/oriented oxide nanostructures exploiting intrinsic material properties. Over the past twenty years, our focus has been on the development of a series of high-temperature gas sensors specifically for combustion processes. We have developed both the resistive and electrochemical sensors and the underlying theme of our work has been the use of materials science and chemistry to promote high-temperature performance with selectivity. Our recent work has led to the development of surface modification techniques for the fabrication of oxide nanostructures that are inexpensive, highly scalable and do not require use of lithography. These nano-structures can be used as platforms for chemical sensing, photocatalysis, electroemission and biomedical applications. This article is concluded with preliminary results on chemical sensing along with future directions.