Tag Archives: Mohammad R. Alenezi

Sensing smoke with nanoscale sensors

A Feb. 17, 2015 news item on Nanowerk notes that current smoke sensors are ultra-violet light detectors in the context of research about developing better ones,

Researchers at the University of Surrey’s [UK] Advanced Technology Institute manipulated zinc oxide, producing nanowires from this readily available material to create a ultra-violet light detector which is 10,000 times more sensitive to UV light than a traditional zinc oxide detector.

A Feb. 17, 2015 University of Surrey press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides more detail about the work and the theory (Note: Links have been removed),

Currently, photoelectric smoke sensors detect larger smoke particles found in dense smoke, but are not as sensitive to small particles of smoke from rapidly burning fires.

Researchers believe that this new material could increase sensitivity and allow the sensor to detect distinct particles emitted at the early stages of fires, paving the way for specialist sensors that can be deployed in a number of applications.

“UV light detectors made from zinc oxide have been used widely for some time but we have taken the material a step further to massively increase its performance,” said Professor Ravi Silva, co-author of the study and head of the Advanced Technology Institute. “Essentially, we transformed zinc oxide from a flat film to a structure with bristle-like nanowires, increasing surface area and therefore increasing sensitivity and reaction speed.”

The team predict that the applications for this material could be far-reaching. From fire and gas detection to air pollution monitoring, they believe the sensor could also be incorporated into personal electronic devices – such as phones and tablets – to increase speed, with a response time 1,000 times faster than traditional zinc oxide detectors.

“This is a great example of a bespoke, designer nanomaterial that is adaptable to personal needs, yet still affordable. Due to the way in which this material is manufactured, it is ideally suited for use in future flexible electronics – a hugely exciting area,” added Professor Silva.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

On-chip Fabrication of High Performance Nanostructured ZnO UV Detectors by Mohammad R. Alenezi, Simon J. Henley, & S. R. P. Silva. Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 8516 doi:10.1038/srep08516 Published 17 February 2015

This paper is open access.