Highly sensitive and linear calibration optical fiber oxygen sensor based on Pt(II) complex embedded in sol-gel matrix

A simple, low-cost technique for fabrication of high performance optical fiber oxygen sensor is described. An organically modified silicate (ORMOSIL) as a matrix for the fabrication of oxygen sensing film was produced. The technique is based on coating the end of an optical fiber with ORMOSIL composite xerogel films film sequestered with luminophore platinum (II) meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (PtTFPP) prepared by a sol-gel process. The composite xerogels studied are 3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysliane (TFP-TriMOS) or n-propyltrimethoxysilane (n-propyl-TriMOS)/tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS)/n-octyltriethoxysilane (Octyl-triEOS). Results show that, expect for PtTFPP-doped TFP-TriMOS or n-propyl-TriMOS/TEOS/Octyl-triEOS composite xerogels show the high sensitivity and linear Stern-Volmer relationship which indicate the homogenous environment of the luminophore. The sensitivities of the two oxygen sensors are quantified in terms of the ratio I_N2/I_O2, where I_N2 and I_O2 represent the detected fluorescence intensities in pure nitrogen and pure oxygen environments, respectively. The experimental results reveal that the PtTFPP-doped TFP-TriMOS/TEOS/Octyl-triEOS and n-propyl-TriMOS/TEOS/Octyl-triEOS oxygen sensors have sensitivities of 101 and 155, respectively. The experimental results confirm that the current oxygen sensors exhibit the linear Stern-Volmer plots and high-sensitive based on the oxygen indicator embedded in TFP-TriMOS or n-propyl-TriMOS/TEOS/Octyl-triEOS composite xerogels.     

Spin-assembled nanofilms for gaseous oxygen sensing

A nanofilm optical sensor for detection and measurement of gaseous oxygen was developed and shown to quantify oxygen concentration over a wide range of conditions. The sensor was fabricated using the spin assembly of an oxygen-sensitive dye entrapped in a dye/polyion interpolyelectrolyte complex. The sensor demonstrated good correlation to the Stern–Volmer relationship, with linear decay in sensitivity of approximately 1.6% per week. The system also demonstrated some level of pressure sensitivity and corresponding variation of the Stern–Volmer constant, facilitating the possible use of the system as a pressure sensor. Oxygen concentration of the sensor was linear over a range of 0–100%, with a resolution of 0.2%. The high sensitivity, inherent linearity and flexibility of this sensor make it suitable for a variety of applications, including biological respiration studies, environmental monitoring, and cell cultures.     

Ratio measurements in oxygen determinations: wavelength ratiometry, lifetime discrimination, and polarization detection

In this work we present ratiometric measurements of oxygen concentrations using a dual-emitting dye. Three different methods for ratio measurements in oxygen sensing are employed. The standard wavelength-ratiometric approach is simple to implement, but the sensor response has significant non-linearity. The frequency discrimination of the lifetimes allows for measurements of dual-emission ratio through a single emission filter. In this case the Stern–Volmer plots are linear. Another option is to use emission polarization.     

Fluorescence quenching of benzo[k]fluoranthene in poly(vinyl alcohol) film: a possible optical sensor for nitro aromatic compounds

Benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF) is a condensed multi-ring compounds with high fluorescence quantum yield and Stokes’ shift. Nitro aromatic compounds (NACs) are known to be good electron acceptors and quenchers. The fluorescence quenching of benzo[k]fluoranthene in poly(vinyl alcohol) film by different NACs, e.g. nitrobenzene, m-dinitrobenzene, o-nitrotoluene, m-nitrotoluene, p-nitrobromobenzene, o-nitroaniline, p-nitrophenol, etc. has been studied. The BkF film shows a strong quenching in the NACs concentration range from 1×10⁻⁴ to 1×10⁻³ M. The Stern–Volmer plots for NACs are found to be non-linear, but regular in this concentration range, which can be used for estimation of these compounds. The typical response time of the sensing film is found to be 2–10 s. The sensor film also shows minimal interference from different organic molecules and has good reversibility and reproducibility. The sensor gives a sensitivity of 1×10⁻⁵ M for p-nitrophenol.     

High temperature catalytic metal field effect transistors for industrial applications

Field effect chemical sensors, utilising silicon carbide as semiconductor, can be operated at high temperature and in rough environments. Gas sensitive field effect transistors, MISiCFET, are now developed (ACREO, Kista in Sweden). This will increase the number of possible applications for field effect gas sensors. The first batch of MISiCFET devices is possible to operate in intermittent pulses of hydrogen/oxygen up to 775°C. At temperatures above 600°C, the gas response of the MISiC devices has very short time constants for a change between oxidising and reducing atmosphere and cylinder specific monitoring of a combustion engine has been demonstrated. Other industrial applications, like exhaust diagnosis and flue gas monitoring, have been demonstrated by the use of MISiC Schottky diodes at lower temperatures, 200°C–500°C.     

Microstructure, electrical and ethanol-sensing properties of perovskite-type SmFe0.7Co0.3O3

Ultrafine SmFe_0.7Co_0.3O₃ powder, prepared by a sol–gel method, shows a single-phase orthogonal perovskite structure. The influence of annealing temperature upon its crystal cell volume, microstructure, electrical and ethanol-sensing properties was investigated in detail. When the annealing temperature increases from 600 to 950 °C, the unit cell volume of the SmFe_0.7Co_0.3O₃ sample reduces, and its average grain size increases. When the annealing temperature increases from 600 to 850 °C, the optimal working temperature and response to ethanol of the SmFe_0.7Co_0.3O₃ sensor increase, and the response–recovery time shortens. But when the annealing temperature further increases from 850 to 950 °C, there are decreases of the optimal working temperature and sensor response, and the response–recovery time is prolonged. The results indicate that, as for sensor response, its optimal annealing temperature is about 850 °C, and the sensor based on SmFe_0.7Co_0.3O₃ annealed at 850 °C shows the highest response S = 80.8 to 300 ppm ethanol gas, and it has the best response–recovery and selectivity characteristics. When the ethanol concentration is as low as 500 ppm, the curve of its optimal response versus concentration is nearly linear. Meanwhile, the influence mechanisms of annealing temperature upon the conductance, the optimal working temperature and sensor response for SmFe_0.7Co_0.3O₃ were studied.     

A fibre-optic oxygen sensor based on contact charge-transfer absorption

A fibre-optic oxygen (O₂) sensor monitoring at a wavelength of 400 nm has been successfully developed for the determination of gaseous O₂. Its working principle is based on the contact charge-transfer absorption of N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine and O₂. The response to changes in O₂ concentrations is reversible and in good agreement with the Beer-Lambert law. The response and recovery times are 12 and 26 min, respectively. The sensor can detect a wide range of O₂ concentrations, ranging from 4.3 to 100% O₂. The precision is 1.45% (n=5) in a gas mixture of 95% O₂ in N₂ and the limit of detection is 4.3% O₂ (3σ_b). The sensor is stable with a 0.53% change in sensitivity per hour. There is a 0.25% °C⁻¹ decrease of the sensitivity of the sensor to O₂ in the range 20–34°C. Water vapour and nitrogen dioxide interfere slightly, whereas hydrogen sulphide and hydrogen chloride have moderate interference on the sensor. However, chlorine and sulphur dioxide seriously interfere with the sensor.     

Silicon pressure sensor with integrated bias stabilization and temperature compensation

A piezoresistive pressure sensor for relative or differential pressure applications has been developed. The use of a 10 μm thick bossed membrane provides high sensitivity (typically 3.3 μV/V Pa) in the low-pressure range (0–60 hPa). Adaptation of sensor fabrication to a triple-diffusion bipolar process by application of an electrochemical etch-stop at a diffused n-type layer on a p-substrate allows monolithic integration of two different conditioning circuits operating with battery voltages of 12 to 20 V. Both circuits provide bias stabilization and temperature compensation for temperatures between −30 and +90°C. Thus the possibility of sensor fabrication by using standard IC technologies is demonstrated.     

An auto-calibrated miniature microhole cathode array sensor system for measuring dissolved oxygen

The electrochemical dissolved-oxygen sensor is a powerful tool in medical, biological and environmental applications. The authors have developed a new auto-calibrated miniature microhole cathode array sensor for measuring dissolved oxygen and ionic conductivity. Operating in the three-electrode potentiostatic mode, the sensor consists of two identical gold working electrodes with a multiple-cathode array, and Ag/AgCl reference electrode, a gold counter electrode and a Pt thermal resistor. One of the working electrodes is used for oxygen measurement and the other for calibration. The two working electrodes can also be used to measure the conductance of a solution by switching the sensor over to a conductance-measuring circuit. Evaluation of the sensor characteristics has given promising results. A linear relationship is observed for calibration of the sensor over the oxygen concentration range 3–16 ppm in 0.1–1.0 N KCl solution at 12–25°C and 760 Torr pressure. Each sensor can work stably and continuously for more than 20 h.     

The assessment of heat radiation

Approximately 900 climatic chamber experiments were performed with 16 male subjects to study the thermal strain at climates including increased heat radiation. Based on the reactions of heart rate, rectal temperature and sweat rate, a heat stress index was developed for the assessment of climates with effective heat radiation intensities up to 1400 W m⁻². The index considers different combinations of dry air temperature (5–55°C), globe temperature (25–76°C), mean radiant temperature (25–160°C), air velocity (0.5–2.0 m s⁻¹), clothing, physical work load and directions of radiation and air flow.

The index integrates combinations of the variables producing the same degree of thermal strain into a single value. This value indicates the temperature of the physiologically equivalent climate in which air and radiant temperature are equal. It can be determined from a simple formula or from correspondent graphs.

In comparison, the international recommended heat stress indices are less capable to evaluate heat radiation correctly. The incorporation of the new partial index into the used indices may improve substantially their physiological validity in the assessment of climates with radiant heat stress.

Relevance to industry

The goal of this paper is to provide an improved assessment of thermal stress in working environments in which heat radiation is an important heat stress factor.     

Ceria-doped SnO2 sensor highly selective to ethanol in humid air

In our earlier study, we reported that at 300 °C, a 2.0 wt.% CeO₂-doped SnO₂ sensor is highly selective to ethanol in the presence of CO and CH₄ gases [F. Pourfayaz, A. Khodadadi, Y. Mortazavi, S.S. Mohajerzadeh, CeO₂ doped SnO₂ sensor selective to ethanol in presence of CO, LPG and CH₄, Sens. Actuators B 108 (2005) 172–176]. In the present investigation, we report the influence of ambient air humidity on the ethanol selective SnO₂ sensor doped with 2.0 wt.% CeO₂. Maximum response to ethanol occurs at 300 °C which decreases with the relative humidity. The relative humidity was changed from 0 to 80% for different ambient air temperatures of 30, 40 and 50 °C and the response of the sensor was monitored in a 250–450 °C temperature range. As the relative humidity in 50 °C air increased from 0 to 30%, a 15% reduction in the maximum response to ethanol was observed. A further increase in the relative humidity no longer reduced the response significantly. The presence of humidity improved the sensor response to both CO and CH₄ up to 350 °C after which the extent of improvement became smaller and at 450 °C was almost diminished. The sensor is shown to be quite selective to ethanol in the presence of humid air containing CO and CH₄. The selectivity passes a maximum at 300 °C; however it declines at higher operating temperatures.     

Potentiometric CO2 gas sensor with lithium phosphorous oxynitride electrolyte

Potentiometric cell, Au/LiCoO₂ 5 m/o Co₃O₄/Li_2.88PO_3.73N_0.14/Li₂CO₃/Au, has been fabricated and investigated for monitoring CO₂ gas. A LiCoO₂–Co₃O₄ mixture was used as the solid-state reference electrode instead of a reference gas. The idea is to keep the lithium activity constant on the reference side using thermodynamic equilibrium at a given temperature. The thermodynamic stability of the reference electrode was studied from the phase stability diagram of Li–Co–C–O system. The Gibb’s free energy of formation of LiCoO₂ was estimated at 500°C from the measured value of the cell emf. The sensors showed good reversibility and fast response toward changing CO₂ concentrations from 200 to 3000 ppm. The emf values were found to follow a logarithmic Nernstian behavior in the 400–500°C temperature range. CH₄ gas did not show any interference effect. Humidity and CO gas decreased the emf values of the sensor slightly. NO and NO₂ gases affect this sensor significantly at low temperatures. However, increased operating temperature seems to reduce the interference.     

Operation of Yb:YAG fiber-optic temperature sensor up to 1600 °C

Fiber-optic temperature sensors based on fluorescence decay in Yb doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Yb:YAG) and Yb,Tb:YAG have been tested. The sensitivity of the sensor is found to be better than 1%/°C for Yb:YAG between 1400 and 1600 °C and for Yb,Tb:YAG between 1250 and 1450 °C. The maximum temperature of 1600 °C reached by the Yb:YAG sensor exceeds the previous record for this type of temperature sensor by more than 200 °C. These sensors are potentially operable up to 1900 °C.     

Spatial-frequency multiplexed fiber-optic Fizeau strain sensor system with optical amplification

A novel method for multiplexing fiber-optic Fizeau strain sensors with optical amplification is proposed and demonstrated. This method overcomes the two intrinsic disadvantages of fiber-optic Fabry–Perot (F–P) strain sensors, i.e. weak signal and difficult multiplexing. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and optical amplification are used simultaneously to enhance the interferometric signal considerably. A Fizeau interferometer formed by two fiber ends with a quite different reflectivity is used to replace the F–P cavity in sensor head design. Such a Fizeau cavity can enlarge the cavity length by at least an order of magnitude and allows more than 10 sensors to be multiplexed simultaneously by using spatial-frequency multiplexing. The operating principle of the sensor system is discussed and an experiment is carried out to verify the concept of the method proposed. It is anticipated that such a sensor system could find important applications for health monitoring of large structures.     

Compensation of the temperature-dependent offset drift of a Hall sensor

We present a method to cancel the offset of a Hall sensor and compensate its temperature-dependent drift. We adapt and improve a compensation technique based on a correction using the input voltage. A more accurate compensation for the temperature drift is obtained by an offset calibration at two different temperatures. To decrease the calibration time, we propose a procedure for fast heating of the sensor. It consists of forcing a current pulse through a p-n junction of the sensor. Since the resistance of a forward-biased diode is small, this principle is compatible with low-voltage applications. After correction, the resulting offset is less than two percent of the initial offset over the temperature range −10 to +60°C. The corresponding residual equivalent offset is lower than 250 μT.     

A 400°C silicon Hall sensor

The maximum operating temperature of conventional silicon sensors is limited to about 200°C, due to excessive thermal generation of carriers at higher temperatures. The minority-carrier exclusion effect can be exploited to reduce the number of thermally generated carriers, ultimately maintaining extrinsic carrier concentrations at intrinsic temperatures. Based on this effect, a silicon magnetic-field sensor with a maximum operating temperature of about 400°C is presented. The sensitivity has been improved by about 500% with respect to a previously reported version, and now measures about 60 V (A T)⁻¹ at room temperature. Additionally, the theoretical support of the exclusion effect has been improved with a more accurate analytical model.     

Simulation and fabrication of piezoresistive membrane type MEMS strain sensors

Two piezoresistive (n-polysilicon) strain sensors on a thin Si₃N₄/SiO₂ membrane with improved sensitivity were successfully fabricated by using MEMS technology. The primary difference between the two designs was the number of strips of the polysilicon patterns. For each design, a doped n-polysilicon sensing element was patterned over a thin 3 μm Si₃N₄/SiO₂ membrane. A 1000×1000 μm² window in the silicon wafer was etched to free the thin membrane from the silicon wafer. The intent of this design was to fabricate a flexible MEMS strain sensor similar in function to a commercial metal foil strain gage. A finite element model of this geometry indicates that strains in the membrane will be higher than strains in the surrounding silicon. The values of nominal resistance of the single strip sensor and the multi-strip sensor were 4.6 and 8.6 kΩ, respectively. To evaluate thermal stability and sensing characteristics, the temperature coefficient of resistance [TCR=(ΔR/R₀)/ΔT] and the gage factor [GF=(ΔR/R₀)/] for each design were evaluated. The sensors were heated on a hot plate to measure the TCR. The sensors were embedded in a vinyl ester epoxy plate to determine the sensor sensitivity. The TCR was 7.5×10⁻⁴ and 9.5×10⁻⁴/°C for the single strip and the multi-strip pattern sensors. The gage factor was as high as 15 (bending) and 13 (tension) for the single strip sensor, and 4 (bending) and 21 (tension) for the multi-strip sensor. The sensitivity of these MEMS sensors is much higher than the sensitivity of commercial metal foil strain gages and strain gage alloys.     

A novel, low power biosensor for real time monitoring of creatinine and urea in peritoneal dialysis

Novel biosensors, based on immobilized creatininase, creatinase and urease are developed, using ISFETs with weak inversion at pH 6–8 and 37.0 °C. The ISFETs with circuitry, demonstrate a linear relationship of urea and creatinine at the range of 0–200 and 0–20 mM, respectively. Preliminary results show that biosensors operating in weak inversion mode can eliminate many of the disadvantages of ISFETs operating in the strong inversion region, providing a wide dynamic range output in nanoAmp. Such characteristics fit the analytical requirements for improving real-time monitoring in peritoneal dialysis (PD). Further work covers stability of ISFET sensors biased with CMOS circuits in the weak inversion mode working in the room temperature of 15–40 °C.     

Room temperature synthesis of γ-Fe2O3 by sonochemical route and its response towards butane

Nanocrystalline gamma iron oxide (γ-Fe₂O₃) has been synthesized at room temperature through sonication-assisted precipitation technique. The key in obtaining γ-Fe₂O₃ at room temperature lies in exploiting high-power ultrasound (600 W). The gas-sensing properties to n-butane of pure γ-Fe₂O₃ were investigated by studying the electrical properties of the sensor elements fabricated from the synthesized powder. The maximum response (90%) of the sensor to 1000 ppm n-butane at 300 °C can be explained on the basis of catalytic activity of the nanocrystallites. The response and recovery time of the sensor to 1000 ppm n-butane were less than 12 s and 120 s, respectively.