Development of carbon nanotubes-based gas sensors

• Grant number: 07/08685-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2008
• End date: January 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Electrical Materials
• Principal Investigator: Stanislav Moshkalev
• Grantee: Rogério Valentim Gelamo
• Host Institution: Centro de Componentes Semicondutores (CCS). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this project is the development of carbon nanotubes devices. The main idea is the domain of the cycle of fabrication of these sensor devices, more precisely gas sensor, to detect, as example, H2, NH3, CO, CO2 e H2S, presents in industrial process and environment. In the operation of sensors, precision, selectivity and reprodutibility are extremely necessary. When a gas is in contact with nanotubes surface, there are an electric charge transfer among them, with consequent alteration of the electrical conductivity of nanotubes. The monitoring of this physical property can be used to detect and quantify gas flux. To improve the selectivity and sensibility of devices, nanotubes can be decorated with metal nanoparticles such as Pd, Ni and Fe. Metal nanoparticles, and others materials, when incorporated in the nanotubes surface promote modifications in yours electronic structures, with introduction or removal of charge carriers, resulting in a increase of structure sensibility to gas presence. FET type and chemical resistor sensors obtained with Single-walled Nanotubes (SWNT) and Multi-walled Nanotubes (MWNT) respectively, will be development and investigated in this project. Using a cycle of technologies existent in the CCS/Unicamp, we expect to obtain sensors which permit quantify several gases, with good sensibility, selectivity and with reproductibility after various operation cycles.