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CO2 Sensors Based on Nanocrystalline SnO2 Doped with CuONanocrystalline tin oxide (SnO2) doped with copper oxide (CuO) has been found to be useful as an electrical-resistance sensory material for measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in air. SnO2 is an n-type semiconductor that has been widely used as a sensing material for detecting such reducing gases as carbon monoxide, some of the nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. Without doping, SnO2 usually does not respond to carbon dioxide and other stable gases. The discovery that the electrical resistance of CuO-doped SnO2 varies significantly with the concentration of CO2 creates opportunities for the development of relatively inexpensive CO2 sensors for detecting fires and monitoring atmospheric conditions. This discovery could also lead to research that could alter fundamental knowledge of SnO2 as a sensing material, perhaps leading to the development of SnO2-based sensing materials for measuring concentrations of oxidizing gases. Prototype CO2 sensors based on CuO-doped SnO2 have been fabricated by means of semiconductor-microfabrication and sol-gel nanomaterial-synthesis batch processes that are amendable to inexpensive implementation in mass production.
Document ID
20080048017
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Other - NASA Tech Brief
Authors
Xu, Jennifer C.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Hunter, Gary W.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Liu, Chung Chiun
(Case Western Reserve Univ. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Ward, Benjamin J.
(Case Western Reserve Univ. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 2008
Publication Information
Publication: NASA Tech Briefs, October 2008
Subject Category
Electronics And Electrical Engineering
Report/Patent Number
LEW-18247-1
Report Number: LEW-18247-1
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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