Chemical Engineers at Notre Dame University Develop Prototype Electronic Nose

Nosang Vincent Myung, the Bernard Keating Crawford endowed professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame, along with his team of engineers have developed a prototype of an electronic nose to tune the sensitivity to duplicate the functions of the human nose. 
 
Because the chemical properties of gases affect the electrical properties of the sensing materials, Myung says manipulating the size and shape of nanoengineered materials make sharper, more functional sensors. Using electronic nose, greenhouse gases and air pollutants can be sniffed out with bacterial infections, natural gas leaks and even cancer. 
 
“Developing better sensors is critical for a number of industries,” said Myung. “The future will be shaped by our ability to design and build smart, accurate and low-powered sensors that will help us better understand and interact with the world around us.”
 
Myung was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Center for Bioanalytical Metrology for a Smart Process Analytical Technology System. The monies were used to monitor chemical/biochemical reactions in industrial and laboratory chemical processing applications in real time.
 
Myung and his team are also developing a smart sensor system for military personnel that can be donned to detect poisonous gases.