High pressure CO and methanol oxidation study over nanopowders Rare Earth Oxides and platinum thin film catalysts

Metal oxides in the form of nanowires with several nanometers or tens of nanometers in diameter are promising materials for gas sensors. Reducing transverse dimension of sensors leads to new selective properties, i.e. sensitivity for special gases as CO and NOx.

The sensor systems will be prepared by coating carbon nanotubes and by means of the electron beam lithography.Morphology of the prepared nanostructures will be checked by means of SEM and AFM. Chemical composition will be studied by means of XPS and EDS. The sensing properties of sensor devices will be tested by using a chip testing system based on the four probe measurements. Digitally controlled gas handling system will permit to test the devices at gas concentrations below ppm at different working temperatures. Properties of gas sensors will be correlated with model studies of gas interaction with the sensing surfaces.