Project 4

microfabricated gas sensor array for detection of airborne toxic organic compounds

(Prof. Sean Fu, ChE)

Figure 1-3. Microfabricated gas sensor array with thiols functionalized gold nanoparticles as sensing material for detection of target organic compounds in environmental air.

In this project an REU student will learn how to fabricate and test a nano-particle gas sensor array and a micropreconcentrator for the measurements of toxic organic compounds (TOCs) in environmental air.  Chronic exposure to TOCs induces adverse effects on human health (cancers and cardiovascular diseases). There is an unmet need for developing rapid and accurate tools for monitoring TOCs in both indoor and outdoor air. The Fu Research Group is developing a novel gas sensor system fabricated on silicon using MEMS techniques. [1-5] Figure 1-3 shows the microfabricated gas sensor and companion interdigitated electrodes, along with a schematic of thiol functionalized gold nanoparticles as the sensing material. Thiol functionalized gold nanoparticles provide high sensitivity and selectivity for sensing TOCs. The micropreconcentrator is used to capture and concentrate the TOCs from air samples before measurements using the sensor array. The REU student will participate in the microfabrication process and then test the preconcentrator and sensor array components. Students interested in ChE, ECE, BE, Chem, Physics, or Bio will be excellent candidates.

References

1)    1. P. Adhihetty, S. Halder, XA. Fu, MH. Nantz, Harnessing the cation-π interactions of metalated gold monolayer-protected clusters to detect aromatic volatile organic compounds, Talanta 2023, 253, 123915.

2)    2. S. Halder, Z. Xie, M. Nantz, XA. Fu, Integration of a micropreconcentrator with solid-phase microextraction for analysis of trace volatile organic compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Journal of Chromatography A 2022, 1673, 463083.

3)    3. Q. Li, XA. Fu, K. Xu, H. He, N. Jiang, A stability study of carbonyl compounds in Tedlar bags by a fabricated MEMS microreactor approach, Microchemical Journal 2021,160:105611.

4)    4. Z. Xie, M. Raju, P. Adhihetty, XA. Fu, MH. Nantz, Effect of thiol molecular structure on the sensitivity of gold nanoparticle-based chemiresistors toward carbonyl compounds, Sensors 2020, 20:7024.

5)    5. Z. Xie, MV.Raju, AC. Stewart, MH. Nantz , XA. Fu, “Imparting Sensitivity and Selectivity to a Gold Nanoparticle Chemiresistor Through Thiol Monolayer Functionalization”  RSC Advances 8, 35618-35624, 2018.