Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
Networked Solar Powered Nanosensors for Remote Area Surveying: The next great development in improving the efficiency of the Australian economy will be the integration of Australian industries into complex networks, made possible by the expansion of wireless and broadband technology. Self powered sensor networks have great potential to reduce wasteful consumption and to significantly improve agricultural and mining production in remote and regional areas of Australia such as the majority of regional Queensland, where the tyranny of distance impedes our primary producer's ability to efficiently monitor the natural environment in real time. Nanowires and nanotubes have recently been used in sensing devices suitable for this application, displaying significant increase in the sensor performance and lower power consumption. Metal oxide nanostructures exhibit physical properties which are significantly different from their coarse-ground polycrystalline counterparts because of their characteristic nano-sized dimensions and morphology. The basic materials constituting the sensors (semiconducting metal oxides) are also the same materials used to create dye-sensitised solar cell devices. This offers a key opportunity to integrate these devices together, providing self-powered sensors, with the capability to send data over wireless links to provide remote monitoring systems.
The zinc oxide nanowire sensors developed in this project will enable improved environmental monitoring in remote areas, providing the ability to detect greenhouse gas emission and other pollutants. Three applications have been identified for the initial use of these sensors:
- Ethylene (C2H4) emissions monitoring, for the control of post harvest fruit ripening
- Ammonia (NH3) to monitor gas emissions from poultry and pork industries, cattle manure and fertilizers
- Ozone (O3) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to monitor pollution or gas emissions from engines.
The metal oxide nanowire sensor elements will be laboratory tested for their ability to detect target gas molecules in the environment and send a calibrated signal to control electronics. The ultimate goal for this honours project is to prepare a sensor that is suitable for field trials where the data is to be transmitted to a monitoring station using built-in radio or UMTS technology and is all powered by the dye sensitised solar cells integrated into the sensor base to form a compact unit.
- Study level
- Honours
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Contact
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Please contact the supervisor.
Associate Professor Eric Waclawik
