Production of toxic gas sensor based on Nanorods

Iranian researchers from Materials and Energy Research Center succeeded in the production of a type of sensor for poisonous gases based on nanorods through a fast and low-cost method.
By presenting a simpler and better method for the production of gas sensors, this project provides industries, including mining industry, with the sensors and it solves the problems caused by the leakage of hazardous gases.
Indium oxide is a very good material for the detection of the toxic nitrogen oxide gas. Due to the importance of the detection of this gas for environment protection, researchers have produced sensors based on indium oxide nanorods in this research and they have studied the responses of the sensor to this toxic gas.
Results showed that the produced sensors have higher detection rate in comparison with similar samples based on indium oxide. Electrophoresis deposition method is considered as a strong technology for the production of sensors due to its unique advantages such as the requirement of simple and cheap equipment, the ability to be used in electrodes in different shapes, compatibility of the method with nanometric materials, low time, and easy control over the thickness and structure of the coating.
In this research, sensors have been produced for the detection of nitrogen oxide gas by using the abovementioned characteristics and also by using a specific structure of indium oxide nanoparticles. Also, indium oxide nanoparticles were deposited in the space between electrodes in a controlled manner by changing parameters such as frequency and voltage through electrophoresis deposition method. In addition and due to high specific area of indium oxide nanoparticles, the final properties of the sensor have improved, and the sensor has a higher speed and accuracy than similar sensors based on the same material.
Results of the research have been published in Journal of the American Ceramic Society, vol. 96, issue 8, August 2013, pp. 2493-2498.