Wearable electro-optical sensor for monitoring of nitrogen dioxide gas in environment

Abstract

Environmental monitoring for detection of harmful pollutants is a challenge in today’s world. Development of wearable sensors with cost-effectiveness and practicality, while using accessible electronic components can be a solution to this challenge. In the present work ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) and a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) pair with carefully designed programmable circuitry is used to detect Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the environment. The sensor is battery operated and rechargeable, making it convenient and eco-friendly. The sensor developed is miniaturized and wearable in nature for the detection of analyte gas in the environment. The sensor is stable and inexpensive as compared to the existing NO2 sensors available, which are electro-chemical, or oxide based. The sensor system is sensitive and selective to its exposure to NO2 gas and has no interference with typical environmental attributes such as humidity and temperature, which is a common challenge in gas detection technologies. The principle of gas detection is absorption based, light falling on the detector absorbed by the test gas present in the environment, thus changing the detector resistance. Absorption-based gas detection is indigenously simple but highly effective technique. This method not only ensures good sensitivity but enhances the selectivity of the electro-optical sensor towards the test gas preventing false triggering in the presence of other interfering gases.