News Section | Chemistry
New ‘chirping’ sensor detects trace gas quickly and efficiently
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently developed a new gas detector that is hundreds of times faster and more sensitive than other similar technologies.
The NIST sensor may make detectors portable, economical and fast enough to be used everywhere.
Trace gas detection, the ability to detect a scant quantity of a particular molecule—a whiff of formaldehyde or a hint of acetone—in a vast sea of others, underlies many important applications, from medical tests to air pollution detectors to bomb sniffers.
According to the NIST investigators, the new sensor overcomes many of the difficulties associated with trace gas detection, a technique also used widely in industry to measure contaminants and ensure quality in manufacturing.
A trace level of a particular gas can indicate a problem exists nearby, but many sensors are only able to spot a specific type of gas, and some only after a long time spent analyzing a sample. The NIST sensor, however, works quickly and efficiently.
“This new sensor can simultaneously detect many different trace gases at very fast rates and with high sensitivity,” said NIST chemist Kevin Douglass.
“It”s also built from off-the-shelf technology that you can carry in your hands. We feel it has great commercial potential,” said Douglass.
The key to the new sensor is the use of radiation at “terahertz” frequencies—between infrared and microwaves.
A major hurdle the new technology overcomes is that it is now possible to look at nearly all possible gas molecules instantly using terahertz frequencies.
“The sensor sends a quick series of waves that run the range from low frequency to high, sort of like the ”chirp” of a bird call,” said Douglass.
Disclaimer: Bioscholar is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The articles are based on peer reviewed research, and discoveries/products mentioned in the articles may not be approved by the regulatory bodies.