Graphene Chemical Sensor

Develop graphene based miniaturized chemical sensors that will be able to detect gaseous and volatile molecules with high sensitivity, good reproducibility and wide operating environment, including extreme conditions. The sensor uses graphene based devices to sense the surface potential of a graphene channel exposed to an analyte. When analyte molecules adsorb onto the graphene surface, they induce a local change in electrical resistance. This effect is very pronounced in graphene due to the high surface area; high electrical conductivity; and inherent low noise, which makes the changes in resistance detectable.

This technology will benefit missions in several lines of NASA business, including Earth Science, Heliophysics and Planetary Science. It will also address FY13 strategic goals of increasing cost efficiency, miniaturization, and extreme environment capability. The developed technology has a number of commercial applications. It will be useful for many commercial areas such as medical diagnosis, industrial process monitoring, volcanology, environmental monitoring, leak detection, and military use for the detection of chemical, biological agents and explosives.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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