Air pollution sensors will be able to provide high-resolution data

With a project conducted under the consultancy of Prof. Dr. Ülkü Alver Şahin from the Department of Environmental Engineering at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Engineering and Prof. Dr. Ali Gelir from the Department of Physics Engineering at Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Science and Letters, the goal is to develop sensors used in air pollution measurement using domestic resources, at a more affordable cost, to increase their numbers, and to obtain data at a higher resolution.

THE PROJECT STARTED TO DEVELOP AN AIR POLLUTION SENSOR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TURKEY

Supported within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1501 Industrial R&D Projects, the "Development of Fluorescence-Based Gas Sensor Architecture for Air Pollution Measurement" project was initiated to develop an air pollution sensor for the first time in Turkey.

Innovathink Engineering is undertaking the industrial execution of the project, which is under the consultancy of Şahin and Gelir.

Şahin stated that their primary goal is to develop a new generation of sensor technology that is an alternative to imported sensors used in measuring air pollution, is more cost-effective, and can provide results faster than its counterparts.

Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Şahin noted that approximately 7 million people lose their lives every year due to causes related to air pollution, and pointed out that while there are around 360 air pollution measurement stations in Turkey to monitor air pollution—often described as invisible pollution—this number is not sufficient for a large geography like Turkey.

Prof. Dr. Şahin added that by using the sensors they have developed, measurements can be made at a spatial hyper-local scale, and the pollutant gases that people are directly exposed to can be detected.

LOW COST BUT BETTER RESULTS

Prof. Dr. Ali Gelir stated that the sensor has a technology capable of detecting many gas components in the air, and that the project focuses specifically on the measurement of nitrogen dioxide and ozone, which are important in air pollution.

Gelir shared the following information:

"Chemical, optical, and different types of sensors are used for air pollution measurement, but these have some disadvantages in terms of stability, service life, and cost. We are developing a sensor with a different method that will minimize these disadvantages. We are working on a fluorescence-based sensor type that shows better performance than its counterparts in terms of cost, response, and service life."

Emphasizing that sensors must be cost-effective to perform measurements at high spatial resolution over a wide geography, but that the technologies currently in use have high costs, Gelir stated that thanks to the sensor they have developed, it will be possible to perform measurements at low cost, with high stability, and at high resolution in many locations.

THE PROTOTYPE WILL EMERGE WITHIN 12 MONTHS AT THE LATEST

Pointing out that the sensor will detect gases in the air by utilizing the light-emitting properties of molecular structures, and that it differs in this respect from the existing electrochemical sensors used in air pollution measurement, Gelir said the following about the production process:

"The first stage of the study begins with the synthesis of molecules. After synthesis, we coat these molecules onto a special substrate. After coating, the drying stage comes. We freeze our material and dry it while it is frozen. The most important reason for this is to maintain porosity. Afterward, there is a laser etching stage. At this stage, patterns can be created on the sensor, thus increasing the service life of the sensor. In the final stage, the packaging stage, the sensor is placed inside a casing, and data begins to be received after it interacts with the gas there."

The molecules, laboratory tests