NIST researchers have developed a highly sensitive gas detector using nanotubes that could revolutionize biological cell stress and communication studies. The new sensors, based on metal oxide nanotubes, are 100-1,000 times more sensitive than current thin film devices and can act as multiple sensors simultaneously.
The nanotubes, with walls only a few nanometers thick, provide almost all surface area for gas sensing. However, fabricating the devices has been difficult and time-consuming. NIST addressed this by using a porous aluminum oxide membrane as a mold to create the nanotubes. Thin gold layers were then added as electrical contacts.
This new fabrication method could enable more precise and efficient gas sensing devices for various applications, particularly in biological research. The technique was published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical in November 2008.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2009/01/super-sensitive-gas-detector-goes-down-nanotubes
Keywords: nanotubes, gas sensing, Biological cell stress
