71results about "Nanotech thermometers" patented technology

Carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoplatelets, and / or metal oxides are incorporated in a polymer to form a sensing element that may be applied on to a surface for sensing hydrocarbon leakage, mechanical stress, and / or temperature change of a hydrocarbon transportation and / or storage structure. Electrical signals from the sensing element are processed to check for indicators of leakage, stress and / or temperature change.

A nanoelectronic sensing device includes a substrate, a nanostructure element disposed adjacent the substrate, and at least a conductive element electrically connected to the nanostructure element. The device is configured to heat at least a portion of the sensor structure including the nanostructure element. In certain embodiments, the nanostructure element comprises at least one nanotube, the nanotube being electrically connected to at least two conductors so as to permit an electric current on the order of 10 microAmps or greater to be passed through the nanotube, causing the nanotube to heat up relative to the substrate. In alternative embodiments, the sensing device includes a platform or membrane which is at least partially thermally isolated by one or more cavities, the platform supporting at least the nanostructure element adjacent to a microheater element. The heating of the sensor structure may be employed, for example, for thermoregulation, to accelerate and / or increase sensor response, and to improve other sensor characteristics.

A nanoparticle fluorescence (or upconversion) sensor comprises an electromagnetic source, a sample and a detector. The electromagnetic source emits an excitation. The sample is positioned within the excitation. At least a portion of the sample is associated with a sensory material. The sensory material receives at least a portion of the excitation emitted by the electromagnetic source. The sensory material has a plurality of luminescent nanoparticles luminescing upon receipt of the excitation with luminance emitted by the luminescent nanoparticles changing based on at least one of temperature and pressure. The detector receives at least a portion of the luminance emitted by the luminescent nanoparticles and outputs a luminance signal indicative of such luminance. The luminescence signal is correlated into a signal indicative of the atmosphere adjacent to the sensory material.

An electrically conductive composite material includes metallic nanostrands distributed throughout a matrix constructed of a polymer, ceramic, or elastomer. The nanostrands may have an average diameter under four microns and an average aspect ratio over ten-to-one. Larger fibers may also be included to enhance electrical conductivity or other properties. The nanostrands and / or fibers may be magnetically oriented to enhance electrical conductivity along one direction. A pressure sensor may be formed by utilizing an elastomer for the matrix. Electrical conductivity through the composite material varies in proportion to deflection of the elastomer. A composite material may be applied to a surface as an electrically conductive paint. Composite materials may be made by cutting a blank of the nanostrands to the desired shape, inserting the matrix, and curing the matrix. Alternatively, a suspension agent may first be used to dispose powdered nanostrands in the desired shape.

The present invention provides a modular platform unit comprising a plurality of sensors for the combined sensing of pressure, temperature and humidity. In particular, the sensors are composed of a layer of metallic-capped nanoparticles (MCNP) casted on a flexible substrate or a rigid substrate. Integration of the platform unit for artificial or electronic skin applications is disclosed.

A nano-composite material having a high electrical conductivity and a high Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity. The nano-composite material is capable of withstanding high temperatures and harsh conditions. These properties make it suitable for use as both a thermal barrier coating for turbine blades and vanes and a thermoelectric generator to power high temperature electronics, high temperature wireless transmitters, and high temperature sensors. Unique to these applications is that the thermal barrier coatings can act as a temperature sensor and / or a source of power for other sensors or high temperature electronics and wireless transmitters.

The method for the fabrication of nano scale temperature sensors and nano scale heaters using focused ion beam (FIB) techniques. The process used to deposit metal nano strips to form a sensor is ion beam assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The FIB Ga+ ion beam can be used to decompose W(CO)6 molecules to deposit a tungsten nano-strip on a suitable substrate. The same substrate can also be used for Pt nano-strip deposition. The precursors for the Pt can be trimethyl platinum (CH3)3Pt in the present case. Because of the Ga+ beam used in the deposition, both Pt and W nano-strips can contain a certain percentage of Ga impurities, which we denoted as Pt(Ga) and W(Ga) respectively. Our characterization of the response of this Pt(Ga) / W(Ga) nano scale junction indicates it has a temperature coefficient of approximately 5.4 mV / ° C. This is a factor of approximately 130 larger than the conventional K-type thermocouples.

The present invention introduces a small-size temperature sensor, which exploits a random or oriented network of un-functionalized, single or multi-walled, carbon nanotubes to monitor a wide range of temperatures. Such network is manufactured in the form of freestanding thin film with an electric conductance proven to be a monotonic function of the temperature, above 4.2 K. Said carbon nanotube film is wire-connected to a high precision source-measurement unit, which measures its electric conductance by a standard two or four-probe technique. Said temperature sensor has a low power consumption, an excellent stability and durability, a high sensitivity and a fast response; its manufacturing method is simple and robust and yields low-cost devices. Said temperature sensor, freely scalable in dimension, is suitable for local accurate measurements of rapidly and widely changing temperatures, while introducing a negligible disturb to the measurement environment.

Energy conversion systems utilizing nanometer scale assemblies are provided that convert the kinetic energy (equivalently, the thermal energy) of working substance molecules into another form of energy that can be used to perform useful work at a macroscopic level. These systems may be used to, for example, produce useful quantities of electric or mechanical energy, heat or cool an external substance or propel an object in a controllable direction. In particular, the present invention includes nanometer scale impact masses that reduce the velocity of working substance molecules that collide with this impact mass by converting some of the kinetic energy of a colliding molecule into kinetic energy of the impact mass. Various devices including, piezoelectric, electromagnetic and electromotive force generators, are used to convert the kinetic energy of the impact mass into electromagnetic, electric or thermal energy. Systems in which the output energy of millions of these devices is efficiently summed together are also disclosed.

A nanothermometer is disclosed. In various embodiments, a nanothermometer comprises a nanoparticle such as a gold nanoparticle, a fluorophore, and a linker, such as a peptide linker, extending between the nanoparticle and the fluorophore, whereby the fluorophore is self-quenched. The linker can comprise one or more cysteines. An unheated thermometer shows little or no fluorescence. Upon heating, fluorophore-linker conjugates are released from the nanoparticle, thereby unquenching the fluorescence. An increase in fluorescence results. In some embodiments, the increase in fluorescence can be irreversible. Methods of measuring temperature of a sample such as a biological sample, and methods of synthesizing a nanothermometer, are also disclosed. A molecular thermometer is also disclosed.

The invention discloses a magnetic nanoparticle concentration and temperature measurement method based on paramagnetic shift. NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) equipment is utilized for measuring chemical shift of a liquid sample containing paramagnetic particles so as to measure concentration and temperature of magnetic nanoparticles, and concentration and temperature measurement with high measurement accuracy is realized effectively. The paramagnetic nanoparticles are added to an NMR sample reagent, and the paramagnetic shift of the sample is obtained through NMR. Resonance frequency is acquired through the paramagnetic shift, magnetic susceptibility is acquired according to the relation between the resonance frequency and magnetic susceptibility of the magnetic nanoparticles, and concentration information and temperature information of the sample are further inversely solved according to the relation of the magnetic susceptibility of the magnetic nanoparticles with the concentrationand the temperature. According to simulation data, concentration measurement and high-accuracy temperature measurement of the magnetic nanoparticle sample can be effectively realized on the basis of the paramagnetic shift information.

A thermal flow sensor comprising at least one first element (2) suspended with respect to a support, said first suspended element (2) being of an electrically conductive material, first means (6) for biasing said suspended element (2) and first means (8) for measuring the variation of the electric voltage at the terminals of the suspended element (2), said first suspended element (2) being formed by a nanowire and said first biasing means (6) are formed by an alternating current source the intensity of which provides heating of the first suspended element (2) by Joule effect.

The invention provides a harmonic amplitude temperature measurement method for magnetic nanoparticle temperature measurement in a high-frequency excitation magnetic field, and the method comprises thesteps: carrying out the fitting of a harmonic amplitude compensation function through a Fokker-Planck equation and a Langevin equation, and building a harmonic amplitude-temperature model for magnetic nanoparticle temperature measurement in the high-frequency excitation magnetic field; and substituting the harmonic amplitude and the phase information of the magnetic nano sample under the high-frequency excitation magnetic field into the constructed harmonic amplitude-temperature model, and solving the temperature information of the magnetic nano sample. According to the invention, magnetic nano real-time temperature measurement in a high-frequency excitation magnetic field is realized, the problem that a magnetic nano temperature measurement method is only suitable for a low-frequency excitation magnetic field and cannot be applied to a high-frequency magnetic field is solved, and the timeliness and feasibility of magnetic nano particles are improved; the method can be used for solving the problem of low magnetic nano temperature measurement precision under high-frequency magnetic field excitation of high-power integrated devices in the industrial field and thermal therapy in themedical field.

The probe includes following parts: a cantalever; a first conductive layer formed on surface of the cantalever; having a through hole, an insulating layer of covering on surface of the first conductive layer; a second conductive layer of covering on surface of the insulating layer; the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are connected at the through hole so as to form a thermocouple area; a Nano carbon tube formed on the thermocouple area. One end of the Nano carbon tube is connected to the second conductive layer at the thermocouple area, and the other end is as a free end. The Nano carbon tube is placed at tip of probe. Using microsize and axial heat-conducting property raises space resolution of scanning heatable stage microscope remarkably.

The invention discloses a multifunctional up-conversion luminescence nanocrystal which has optical temperature sensing, laser-induced heating and thermochromic characteristics at the same time and is a cubic phase yttrium oxide spherical nanocrystal with the average diameter of 30-50nm, wherein trivalent Tm<3+> and Yb<3+> ions are codoped in the nanocrystal, the doping concentration of the Tm<3+> is 0.1-0.5mol%, the doping concentration of the Yb<3+> is 1-5mol%, and the concentration ratio of the Yb<3+> to the Tm<3+> is 10:1. 1G4(a)-3H6(477nm) and 1G4(b)-3H6(490nm) transition fluorescence intensity specific values of the Tm<3+> in the nanocrystal have good correspondence with temperature, and temperature measurement can be realized. A radiationless transition process of the Tm<3+> can be regulated by changing excitation power value of a 980nm laser, and control on self-heating temperature inside the nanocrystal is realized, so that the multifunctional up-conversion luminescence nanocrystal is applicable to photothermal therapy.

A new nanothermometer comprises, as a temperature sensitive element, a carbon nanotube in which continuous and columnar indium is included, and comprises a temperature-measuring section for measuring the temperature of an environment by measuring the length in the axial direction of the columnar indium, in the temperature sensitive element, which can be changed with a change in the environment temperature. The nanothermometer can be used to measure temperatures in a wide temperature range in an environment having a size of micrometers or less.

The invention discloses a flexible temperature-sensitive pressure sensor based on nanoparticl lattice quantum conductance and an assembly method and an application thereof. The sensor comprises a polymer polymer film, a metal nanoparticle lattice, a metal microelectrode and a conductance measuring external circuit; wherein at least one set of metal nanoparticle lattice are deposited on the upper and lower surfaces of a high-molecular polymer film, and the positions of the metal nanoparticle lattices on the upper and lower surfaces of each group are in one-to-one correspondence; the metal microelectrodes are disposed on both sides of each group of metal nanoparticle lattices, and are symmetrically distributed on the upper and lower surfaces of the high-molecular polymer film; and the conductance measuring external circuit is electrically connected to the metal microelectrode. The conductance response signal of the nanoparticle lattice of the invention has an exponential relationship with the particle spacing, and thus has an extremely sensitive response to pressure-induced deformation; the additional integrated temperature sensor is avoided, and a sensing structure is simplified; the impedance of the nanoparticle lattice is in the order of megaohms, and the power consumption is extremely small; and large-area production and package can be realized.

The invention discloses a paramagnetism-based remote temperature measurement method for magnetic nanoparticles, and the method comprises: applying multiple times of excited magnetic fields on the area of a magnetic nano sample, constructing an equation group between the different excited magnetic fields and corresponding magnetic susceptibilities according to the Langevin's paramagnetic theorem, and obtaining the information of temperature and sample concentration via the equation group. The invention is capable of more precisely and more quickly detecting the temperature of an object, and especially applicable for the detection of thermal motion at bio-molecular level. Experiments indicate the measurement error is less than 0.56K.

A temperature sensor comprising a light emitter, an electrical circuit for applying a reverse bias voltage across the light emitter and for measuring a reverse current, and means for calculating a temperature from the measured reverse current.

By preliminarily measuring the gallium temperature and the length change of a temperature sensing element comprising a carbon nano tube having a continuous columnar gallium contained, then heating the temperature sensing element installed in a subject to have the temperature measure in the air, taking out the temperature sensing element subjecting to measure the gallium length, and substituting the measured gallium length in the formula, the temperature is measured accurately in a wide temperature range in a micrometer size or less environment.

Carbon nanotube-based multi-sensors for packaging applications and methods to form the carbon nanotube-based multi-sensors are capable of simultaneously measuring at least two measurands including temperature, strain, and humidity via changes in its electrical properties.

The invention discloses a paramagnetism-based remote temperature measurement method for magnetic nanoparticles, and the method comprises: applying multiple times of excited magnetic fields on the area of a magnetic nano sample, constructing an equation group between the different excited magnetic fields and corresponding magnetic susceptibilities according to the Langevin's paramagnetic theorem, and obtaining the information of temperature and sample concentration via the equation group. The invention is capable of more precisely and more quickly detecting the temperature of an object, and especially applicable for the detection of thermal motion at bio-molecular level. Experiments indicate the measurement error is less than 0.56K.