Project Description

The objective of NANOS4 is to prepare a new generation of selective and stable solid state Metal Oxide (MOX) gas sensors by using advanced micro and nano-engineering techniques.

The NANOS4 proposal is mainly driven by the following markets needs :

Increase safety, comfort and economy of flying in large passenger aircraft.

Provide a new generation of Fire Alarm Systems.

Safety measures in industry where toxic, suffocating or flammable gases are used

Quality controls in manufacturing and process Industry.

Measurements of the odour nuisances near wastewater or landfill sites.

Monitoring of combustion condition to minimize the production of air pollutants and for maximizing energy efficiency.

Ventilation on demand in vehicles for cabinet air quality control.

Among all possible technological approaches conductometric gas sensors based on Metal Oxide semiconductors (MOX) are the most promising to develop low cost and highly reliable sensors for reasons of simplicity of the transduced physical quantity and the possibility of integration into Si technology.

The main long-term innovations foreseen and the new knowledge created by NANOS4 are:

Production of an array of stable, precise, low-cost solid-state semiconductor sensors.

Qualification in preparation and manipulation of oxides at the nano scale in the shape of nanowires.

Qualification in nanolithography applied to oxides

Qualification in physico chemical characterisation of nanostructures

Comprehension of transport properties of low dimensional systems based on MOX

Qualification in preparation of micromachined substrates based on Si and SiC hotplates

Development of micro reactors for gas pre-treatments incorporating a gas sensor array

Production of advanced gas sensor systems and functionality tests .

Both new materials and systems will be patented.

The project is structured into ten Workpackages (WPs).