Jan 29 2011
ItN Nanovation, a Nanostart company, recently obtained a patent from the European Patent Office for ‘misch metal oxides and their utilization in CO2 sensors’. The patent EP1636135 is expected to boost the use of semiconductive carbon dioxide sensing devices developed using nanotechnology.
It is estimated that by the year 2015, the potential usage of gas sensing devices across the world will be close to USD 17 bn, with a larger part of that figure being devoted to carbon dioxide sensing equipment, which will facilitate various monitoring processes such as production of power, locomotion, ventilation and climate control. This technology will also be useful in monitoring biological processes like digestive and exhalation issues, fermentation etc. The issue of carbon dioxide presence and its detection and control is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s age of global warming. In this continuing endeavor, nanotechnology is expected to play a greater role than optical or electrochemical methods because of its proven efficiency.
The patent has been awarded for producing material based on nanotechnology and the coatings on equipment that will be sensitive to the presence of carbon dioxide.