INVOGAS

Nowadays, the detection of target gases has become of fundamental importance. The multiple applications in which increasingly sensitive, selective and low-power consumption gas sensors are required have led to a considerable increase in investment in this area in the last decade [1]. Among the various types of gas sensors, chemoresistive ones represent an interesting alternative, given their low cost, high sensitivity and robustness [2].

This type of sensor is based on the variation in electrical conductivity that some semiconductors show when exposed to gases present in the environment. The most used semiconductors are thermo-activated metal oxides (MOX). This type of device has also shown several limitations that have hindered its diffusion, including low selectivity, reproducibility of response and high-power consumption. Recent studies have shown a correlation between the chemical-physical properties of these MOX and the possibility of producing them with controlled oxygen vacancies resulting in stoichiometric defects, modifying their stability, chemical reactivity and electrical conductance [3].

The aim of this project is to investigate the effects of oxygen vacancies on the chemoresistive properties of MOX, with the aim of improving the sensing performance of these materials.

[1] https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/gas-sensors-market

[2] https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/3/1/1

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925400519310445