Abstract
The existing temperature sensors using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are limited by low sensitivity, complicated processes, or dependence on microscopy to observe the experimental results. Here we report the fabrication and successful testing of an ionization temperature sensor featuring non-self-sustaining discharge. The sharp tips of nanotubes generate high electric fields at relatively low voltages, lowering the work function of electrons emitted by CNTs, and thereby enabling the safe operation of such sensors. Due to the temperature effect on the electron emission of CNTs, the collecting current exhibited an exponential increase with temperature rising from 20 °C to 100 °C. Additionally, a higher temperature coefficient of 0.04 K−1 was obtained at 24 V voltage applied on the extracting electrode, higher than the values of other reported CNT-based temperature sensors. The triple-electrode ionization temperature sensor is easy to fabricate and converts the temperature change directly into an electrical signal. It shows a high temperature coefficient and good application potential.
Highlights
Temperature sensors are among the most-widely used sensors in consumer and industrial temperature measurement
A thermometer can be realized by measuring the thermal expansion of gallium inside a carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [1], since the height of a continuous unidimensional column of liquid gallium inside a carbon nanotube varies linearly and reproducibly in the temperature range 50–500 ◦ C
The sensor is comprised of three electrode plates; i.e., a CNT-based cathode, an extracting electrode, and a sensor is comprised of three electrode plates; i.e., a CNT-based cathode, an extracting electrode, and collecting electrode
Summary
Temperature sensors are among the most-widely used sensors in consumer and industrial temperature measurement. A thermometer can be realized by measuring the thermal expansion of gallium inside a CNT [1], since the height of a continuous unidimensional column of liquid gallium inside a carbon nanotube varies linearly and reproducibly in the temperature range 50–500 ◦ C. This methodology requires microscopic measurement of the height of the gallium. A novel ionization temperature sensor based on CNTs electrodes [12] was capable of overcoming the limitations of the above two types of temperature sensors, but it was only used to detect temperature in N2 at 100 V extracting voltage; Sensors 2017, 17, 473; doi:10.3390/s17030473 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors its carbon nanotubes have large diameter and small spaces between nanotubes
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