Metal Oxide Nanoarrays for Chemical Sensing: A Review of Fabrication Methods, Sensing Modes, and Their Inter-correlations

In recent years, engineered nanostructure assemblies such as nanowire arrays have attracted much research attention due to their unique chemical and functional characteristics collectively. The engineered nano-assemblies usually carry the characteristics distinct from bulk as a result of a size effect in their comprised elemental building blocks. The nanoscale size induced high surface-to-volume ratio is a fundamental attribute responsible for various chemical and physical properties required in various technologically important applications such as catalysts and sensors. This review article surveys the latest progress in engineered metal oxide nanostructure arrays, i.e., nanoarrays, for advanced chemical sensors' design and application. It starts with an overview of gaseous chemical sensors followed by surveys of various fabrication methods and routes for metal oxide nanoarrays. Different sensing modes and corresponding applications have been highlighted in the mixed gaseous chemical sensing, which provides new approaches and perspectives to meet the challenges of selective gas sensing, such as the cross-sensitivity and inter-correlation of multiple sensing signals

Improving the MODIS LAI compositing using prior time-series information

80NSSC21K1960 - NASA; 80NSSC22K0052 - NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; 80NSSC22K0052 - NASAFirst author draf

Three-Dimensional Composite Nanostructures for Lean NOx Emission Control

This final report to the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for DE-EE0000210 covers the period from October 1, 2009 to July 31, 2013. Under this project, DOE awarded UConn about $1,248,242 to conduct the research and development on a new class of 3D composite nanostructure based catalysts for lean NOx emission control. Much of the material presented here has already been submitted to DOE/NETL in quarterly technical reports. In this project, through a scalable solution process, we have successfully fabricated a new class of catalytic reactors, i.e., the composite nanostructure array (nano-array) based catalytic converters. These nanocatalysts, distinct from traditional powder washcoat based catalytic converters, directly integrate monolithic substrates together with nanostructures with well-defined size and shape during the scalable hydrothermal process. The new monolithic nanocatalysts are demonstrated to be able to save raw materials including Pt-group metals and support metal oxides by an order of magnitude, while perform well at various oxidation (e.g., CO oxidation and NO oxidation) and reduction reactions (H{sub 2} reduction of NOx) involved in the lean NOx emissions. The size, shape and arrangement of the composite nanostructures within the monolithic substrates are found to be the key in enabling the drastically reduced materials usage while maintaining the good catalytic reactivity in the enabled devices. The further understanding of the reaction kinetics associated with the unique mass transport and surface chemistry behind is needed for further optimizing the design and fabrication of good nanostructure array based catalytic converters. On the other hand, the high temperature stability, hydrothermal aging stability, as well as S-poisoning resistance have been investigated in this project on the nanocatalysts, which revealed promising results toward good chemical and mechanical robustness, as well as S-poisoning resistance. Further investigation is needed for unraveling the understanding, design and selection principles of this new class of nanostructure based monolithic catalysts

Multifunctional Nanowire/film Composites based Bi-modular Sensors for In-situ and Real-time High Temperature Gas Detection

This final report to the Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory for DE-FE0000870 covers the period from 2009 to June, 2013 and summarizes the main research accomplishments, which can be divided in sensing materials innovation, bimodular sensor demonstration, and new understanding and discoveries. As a matter of fact, we have successfully completed all the project tasks in June 1, 2013, and presented the final project review presentation on the 9th of July, 2013. Specifically, the major accomplishments achieved in this project include: 1) Successful development of a new class of high temperature stable gas sensor nanomaterials based on composite nano-array strategy in a 3D or 2D fashion using metal oxides and perovskite nanostructures. 2) Successful demonstration of bimodular nanosensors using 2D nanofibrous film and 3D composite nanowire arrays using electrical resistance mode and electrochemical electromotive force mode. 3) Series of new discoveries and understandings based on the new composite nanostructure platform toward enhancing nanosensor performance in terms of stability, selectivity, sensitivity and mass flux sensing. In this report, we highlight some results toward these accomplishments

Nano-Array Integrated Structured Catalysts: A New Paradigm upon Conventional Wash-Coated Monolithic Catalysts?

The monolithic catalyst, namely the structured catalyst, is one of the important categories of catalysts used in various fields, especially in catalytic exhaust after-treatment. Despite its successful application in conventional wash-coated catalysts in both mobile and stationary catalytic converters, washcoat-based technologies are facing multi-fold challenges, including: (1) high Pt-group metals (PGM) material loading being required, driving the market prices; (2) less-than ideal distribution of washcoats in typically square-shaped channels associated with pressure drop sacrifice; and (3) far from clear correlations between macroscopic washcoat structures and their catalytic performance. To tackle these challenges, the well-defined nanostructure array (nano-array)-integrated structured catalysts which we invented and developed recently have been proven to be a promising class of cost-effective and efficient devices that may complement or substitute wash-coated catalysts. This new type of structured catalysts is composed of honeycomb-structured monoliths, whose channel surfaces are grown in situ with a nano-array forest made of traditional binary transition metal oxide support such as Al2O3, CeO2, Co3O4, MnO2, TiO2, and ZnO, or newer support materials including perovskite-type ABO3 structures, for example LaMnO3, LaCoO3, LaNiO, and LaFeO3. The integration strategy parts from the traditional washcoat technique. Instead, an in situ nanomaterial assembly method is utilized, such as a hydro (solva-) thermal synthesis approach, in order to create sound structure robustness, and increase ease and complex-shaped substrate adaptability. Specifically, the critical fabrication procedures for nano-array structured catalysts include deposition of seeding layer, in situ growth of nano-array, and loading of catalytic materials. The generic methodology utilization in both the magnetic stirring batch process and continuous flow reactor synthesis offers the nano-array catalysts with great potential to be scaled up readily and cost-effectively. The tunability of the structure and catalytic performance could be achieved through morphology and geometry adjustment and guest atoms and defect manipulation, as well as composite nano-array catalyst manufacture. Excellent stabilities under various conditions were also present compared to conventional wash-coated catalysts