The Need

There is a continuing need for the development of rugged and reliable sensors capable of making measurements in the harsh industrial environments found in the steel, heat treating, metal casting, glass, ceramic, pulp and paper, automotive, aerospace, and utility and power industries. There is a growing need for sensors to monitor NOx emissions due to the negative health effects and the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments that require industries to monitor nitrogen oxide emissions. The major species of NO_x in automotive exhaust gases are NO, NO₂, N₂O of which 90% of the total amount is NO. Nitrogen oxides can be toxic to humans with possible lung impairment due to less than 15 ppm NO₂. It is therefore imperative to develop a sensor for NO_x that will provide real time analysis for engine control and onboard diagnostics to monitor and control these emissions.

The Technology

The Ohio State University Researchers led by Dr. Prabir Dutta have developed a sensor that detects nitrous oxide (NOx) in air samples. The invention is specific to withstand harsh environments and increases the magnitudes of the signal response of the NOx gasses by utilizing a zeolite NaY coating. Three sensor designs have been tested and displayed relatively similar behavior utilizing the same sensor mechanism. The invention has been tested in multiple harsh environments and the heating for the YSZ to reduce the effect of the temperature instabilities under harsh conditions is currently being explored.

Commercial Application

• Automotive sensors
• Industrial sensors
• Commercial safety systems

Benefits/Advantages

• Can survive in harsh environments such as automobiles
• Can operate at high temperatures up to 600°C.
• Critical in EPA compliance with diesel engines
• Quick response time