Development and testing of an electrochemical methane sensor

Abstract

In this article, the development of an electrochemical methane sensor is presented. The mixed potential based sensor is based on tin doped indium oxide (ITO) and platinum electrodes and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. The sensor was fabricated using the inexpensive tape-cast method. The sensor responded to methane with a response time of 15 s. The staircase response to methane indicated a 44 mV sensor response to 100 ppm of methane. The sensor response indicated a log-linear relationship with the methane concentration. Upon 500 hrs of sensor testing, a 5% reduction in methane sensitivity was observed. The cross-sensitivity study on the sensor indicated minimal interference to NO, NO 2 , and CO 2. To improve the sensitivity to methane, a signal conditioning method referred to as the pulsed discharge technique (PDT) was applied. A fourfold increase in methane sensitivity was observed when the sensor was subjected to PDT. Future studies include the miniaturization of the sensor with integrated heater design.

Long-term reliability of the Figaro TGS 2600 solid-state methane sensor under low Arctic conditions at Toolik lake, Alaska

“…This is not an easy task since there is a substantial proprietary knowledge that is unrevealed by the manufacturer. Newer, promising developments are underway that work with a mixed potential sensor using tin doped indium oxide and platinum electrodes in combination with yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte that show a logarithmic signal range of 0-10 mV for the range of 1-3 ppm CH 4 of interest for ambient air studies (Sekhar et al, 2016). The basic principle that the active metal-oxide is charged with O 2 (or O 2− ), which then oxidizes CH 4 , seems to be similar to the SnO 2 -based TGS 2600; thus there is a good chance that our findings for the TGS 2600 are also useful for assessing the performance of newer solid-state sensors with different active materials.…”

CQDs@NiO: An Efficient Tool for CH4 Sensing

“…In this framework, the ideal combination of sensors properties includes sensitivity, quick response, low-cost sensing material and sensor components. Platforms such as the electrochemical ones, which often proved to be effective toward multiple targets [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], were also applied to CH 4 sensing [13][14][15], which required the gas being trapped in liquids. It must be added that, for other gases such as CO 2 , potentiometric sensors were developed, without a need for trapping in liquid, albeit working at high temperatures and requiring a BaCO 3 layer for limiting the humidity interference [16].…”

Co-doped ZnO Nanowires for Low Temperature Methane Sensing Operational in Humid Environments

“…For example, Wang et al [15] explored computer vision approaches for infrared imaging of methane based on convolutional neural networks to determine methane leakage, aiming for automatic leak detection. Sekhar et al [16] reported a electrochemical metal oxide methane sensor using Sn-doped indium oxide which exhibited responses above 100 ppm CH 4 . This mixed potential sensor was applied in the detection of unburnt methane in natural gas.…”