Development of an Electronic Nose for Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds Based on Nanoporous Microcantilevers by Using Photothermal Spectroscopy

• Author / Creator

  Chae, Inseok

• An electronic nose for identification and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mixtures was developed using a nanopore-enhanced photothermal cantilever deflection spectroscopy (PCDS). PCDS provides highly selective detection of vapor mixtures of VOCs from specific molecular vibrations in the mid IR region. Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) microcantilevers, fabricated through the self-ordering anodization and simple photolithography, were exploited with PCDS in order to increase the sensitivity. AAO microcantilevers were optimized by tuning the diameter of nanopores in order to enhance the thermomechanical sensitivity and increase the surface area. The thermomechanical sensitivity of a bilayer AAO microcantilever with 60 nm of pore diameter was estimated ~1 μm/K and was found to be much superior to that of plain Si microcantilever due to its nanoporous structure. The adsorbed molecules from vapor mixtures on AAO microcantilevers in humid condition were fully recognized and quantified by measuring the peak amplitudes in PCDS and the resonance frequency shifts of AAO microcantilevers.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Nanoporous microcantilever
  • Photothermal spectroscopy
  • Anodic aluminum oxide
  • Electronic nose

• Graduation date

  Spring 2015

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3ZW18X9N

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.