BA/MA PROJECT Environmental monitoring of air quality with nanomechanical sensors

ISAS - Micro and Nanosensors MSc. Niklas Luhmann Prof.-Dr. Silvan Schmid Interested? Then contact us! J Niklas.luhmann@tuwien.ac.at

In times of the rising Anthropocene pressure on earths’ atmosphere, precise monitoring of air quality and toxic aerosols is becoming a major topic. Despite the already intensive studies of aerosols, the detection and chemical analysis of airborne nanoparticles remains challenging and time consuming. Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) sensors with their unprecedented sensitivity offer a breakthrough solution for the fast chemical analysis of toxic airborne nanoparticles. The emerging field of nanomechanical infrared (NAM-IR) spectroscopy has already demonstrated exceptional sensitivities for the analysis of chemical compounds with a limit-of-detection down to a few picogram [1]. By means of this so-called NAM-IR technique, we currently develop an instrument based on a nanoelectromechanical system (see upper right) in combination with Fourier-Transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to enable the analysis of such airborne particles with unprecedented sensitivity. Therefore, a portable sampling chamber was fabricated and successfully tested on the rooftop of TU Wien and the Sonnenblick Observatory (3100m – see top right). The proposed thesis comprises intensive field measurements/sampling at different observation points and consecutive supervised analysis in the lab. Potential observation points can range from downtown Vienna to monitor air pollution during rush hours up to air analysis in the mountains for climate change modelling. Depending on the thesis and your expertise, it is further planned to design a more compact and remote sampling device to be installed in weather balloons. Do you like hands on experimental work including field work? Awesome, then contact us!

[1] A.J. Andersen et al., Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 233 114 (2016), pp. 667 - 673