Sensors including metal oxides selective for specific gases and methods for preparing same
AssigneeThe Research Foundation of SUNY at Stony Brook
InventorPelagia-Irene Gouma
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Abstract
Sensors are provided which are selective for a specific gas. The sensors include a substrate, electrodes, and a thin film metal oxide. Methods for choosing the metal oxide to be utilized in the sensor with selectivity for the specific gas are also provided, as are methods for determining the presence of a specific gas in a gaseous mixture.
Claims14
A sensor for detecting gases comprising a substrate, plural electrodes, and an undoped thin film metal oxide having a thickness of from about 5 nm to about 500 nm in contact with each electrode, wherein the thin film metal oxide is of sufficiently high purity to exhibit a selective response in the form of an increase or a decrease in an electrical property of the thin film metal oxide in the presence of a specific oxidizing gas selected from the group consisting of O2, NO and NO2, wherein the metal oxide consists essentially of cubic ReO3 structured metal oxide selected from the group consisting of WO3, β-MoO3 and UO2 and is selectively responsive to the oxidizing gases.
A method for determining the presence of a specific gas in a gaseous mixture which comprises providing a gas sensor with plural electrodes, each electrode in contact with a thin film metal oxide having a thickness of from about 5 nm to about 500 nm which exhibits an increase or a decrease in an electrical property of the thin film metal oxide in the presence of the specific gas, contacting the sensor with the gaseous mixture, detecting the increase or decrease in the electrical property by the electrodes, measuring the change in electrical property, and determining the specific gas concentration, wherein the specific gas is an oxidizing gas selected from the group consisting of O2, NO and NO2, wherein the metal oxide consists essentially of cubic ReO3 structured metal oxide selected from the group consisting of WO3, β-MoO3 and UO2 and is selectively responsive to the oxidizing gases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.