[sta_anchor id=”Decentralized”]Decentralized low power filtration via field effect – A water bottle for desalination
Principal Investigator
Prof Sanjiv Sambandan (Professor, Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics)
Duration
1 August 2012 to 31 July 2013
Waste water management is a global problem. Technologies based on membranes and chemicals to treat waste water place immense costs to the environment. This project focused on developing a membraneless, chemical free wastewater treatment system. The designs thus far have permitted easy scalability from hand held systems to larger community based systems. Tests have shown that submicron impurities such as metal oxides, coliform bacteria, organic impurities are removed. Hardness is also abated. Future plans include a user friendly design of a hand held water bottle and the setup of a pilot project for continuous larger throughput systems.
Patent Application
Sambadan, Sanjiv
A desalination device
Indian Patent Application No. 1506/CHE/2013 (03.06.16)
[sta_anchor id=”Development”]Development of non-invasive human breath sensor system
Principal Investigator
Prof K. Rajanna (Professor, Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics)
Duration
1 August 2012 to 31 July 2013
A PolyVinylideneDiFluoride (PVDF) based nasal sensor has been designed and developed to monitor human respiration, a novel and non‐invasive type sensor. The piezoelectric property of the PVDF film has been utilized to realise the sensor. In our work, we have used PVDF film in the cantilever configuration as a sensing element to form the nasal sensor. The dimensions of the PVDF cantilever sensing element are optimized using detailed theoretical analysis as well as experimental studies. Two identical PVDF sensors were mounted on a normal headphone such that the tidal flow of inhaled and exhale air impinge on the sensor in order to measure the breathing patterns. These patterns are recorded, filtered, analyzed and displayed on the computer screen. A necessary signal conditioning circuitry has been developed for the PVDF nasal sensors. Clinical trials were conducted at the nearby hospital to study the performance of the developed breath sensor. The results were analyzed and found very useful in identifying the breathing abnormalities.
Project Publications
| 1. | Manjunatha, Roopa G; Mahapatra, Roy D; Prakash, Surya; Rajanna, K Validation of polyvinylidene fluoride nasal sensor to assess nasal obstruction in comparison with subjective technique Journal Article American Journal of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery, 36 (2), pp. 122-129, 2015. Abstract | BibTeX | Links:   @article{Manjunatha2015,
title = {Validation of polyvinylidene fluoride nasal sensor to assess nasal obstruction in comparison with subjective technique},
author = {G. Roopa Manjunatha and D. Roy Mahapatra and Surya Prakash and K. Rajanna},
url = {http://www.rbccps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1-s2.0-S0196070914002063-main.pdf},
doi = {10.1016/j.amjoto.2014.09.002},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-04-30},
journal = {American Journal of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery},
volume = {36},
number = {2},
pages = {122-129},
abstract = {The aim of this study is to validate the applicability of the PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) nasal sensor to assess the nasal airflow, in healthy subjects and patients with nasal obstruction and to correlate the results with the score of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
PVDF nasal sensor and VAS measurements were carried out in 50 subjects (25-healthy subjects and 25 patients). The VAS score of nasal obstruction and peak-to-peak amplitude (Vp-p) of nasal cycle measured by PVDF nasal sensors were analyzed for right nostril (RN) and left nostril (LN) in both the groups. Spearman's rho correlation was calculated. The relationship between PVDF nasal sensor measurements and severity of nasal obstruction (VAS score) were assessed by ANOVA.
In healthy group, the measurement of nasal airflow by PVDF nasal sensor for RN and LN were found to be 51.14 ± 5.87% and 48.85 ± 5.87%, respectively. In patient group, PVDF nasal sensor indicated lesser nasal airflow in the blocked nostrils (RN: 23.33 ± 10.54% and LN: 32.24 ± 11.54%). Moderate correlation was observed in healthy group (r = − 0.710, p < 0.001 for RN and r = − 0.651, p < 0.001 for LN), and moderate to strong correlation in patient group (r = − 0.751, p < 0.01 for RN and r = − 0.885, p < 0.0001 for LN).
Conclusion
PVDF nasal sensor method is a newly developed technique for measuring the nasal airflow. Moderate to strong correlation was observed between PVDF nasal sensor data and VAS scores for nasal obstruction. In our present study, PVDF nasal sensor technique successfully differentiated between healthy subjects and patients with nasal obstruction. Additionally, it can also assess severity of nasal obstruction in comparison with VAS. Thus, we propose that the PVDF nasal sensor technique could be used as a new diagnostic method to evaluate nasal obstruction in routine clinical practice.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The aim of this study is to validate the applicability of the PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) nasal sensor to assess the nasal airflow, in healthy subjects and patients with nasal obstruction and to correlate the results with the score of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
PVDF nasal sensor and VAS measurements were carried out in 50 subjects (25-healthy subjects and 25 patients). The VAS score of nasal obstruction and peak-to-peak amplitude (Vp-p) of nasal cycle measured by PVDF nasal sensors were analyzed for right nostril (RN) and left nostril (LN) in both the groups. Spearman's rho correlation was calculated. The relationship between PVDF nasal sensor measurements and severity of nasal obstruction (VAS score) were assessed by ANOVA.
In healthy group, the measurement of nasal airflow by PVDF nasal sensor for RN and LN were found to be 51.14 ± 5.87% and 48.85 ± 5.87%, respectively. In patient group, PVDF nasal sensor indicated lesser nasal airflow in the blocked nostrils (RN: 23.33 ± 10.54% and LN: 32.24 ± 11.54%). Moderate correlation was observed in healthy group (r = − 0.710, p < 0.001 for RN and r = − 0.651, p < 0.001 for LN), and moderate to strong correlation in patient group (r = − 0.751, p < 0.01 for RN and r = − 0.885, p < 0.0001 for LN).
Conclusion
PVDF nasal sensor method is a newly developed technique for measuring the nasal airflow. Moderate to strong correlation was observed between PVDF nasal sensor data and VAS scores for nasal obstruction. In our present study, PVDF nasal sensor technique successfully differentiated between healthy subjects and patients with nasal obstruction. Additionally, it can also assess severity of nasal obstruction in comparison with VAS. Thus, we propose that the PVDF nasal sensor technique could be used as a new diagnostic method to evaluate nasal obstruction in routine clinical practice. |
| 2. | Manjunatha, Roopa G; Rajanna, K; Mahapatra, Roy D; Prakash, Surya Evaluation of polyvinylidene fluoride nasal sensor to assess deviated nasal septum in comparision with peak nasal inspiratory flow measurements Journal Article American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy, 28 (1), pp. 62-67, 2014. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: @article{Manjunatha2014,
title = {Evaluation of polyvinylidene fluoride nasal sensor to assess deviated nasal septum in comparision with peak nasal inspiratory flow measurements},
author = {G. Roopa Manjunatha and K. Rajanna and D. Roy Mahapatra and Surya Prakash},
url = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ocean/ajra/2014/00000028/00000001/art00022},
doi = {10.2500/ajra.2014.28.3996},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
journal = {American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy},
volume = {28},
number = {1},
pages = {62-67},
abstract = {Deviated nasal septum (DNS) is one of the major causes of nasal obstruction. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nasal sensor is the new technique developed to assess the nasal obstruction caused by DNS. This study evaluates the PVDF nasal sensor measurements in comparison with PEAK nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) measurements and visual analog scale (VAS) of nasal obstruction. Methods: Because of piezoelectric property, two PVDF nasal sensors provide output voltage signals corresponding to the right and left nostril when they are subjected to nasal airflow. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the voltage signal corresponding to nasal airflow was analyzed to assess the nasal obstruction. PVDF nasal sensor and PNIF were performed on 30 healthy subjects and 30 DNS patients. Receiver operating characteristic was used to analyze the DNS of these two methods. Results: Measurements of PVDF nasal sensor strongly correlated with findings of PNIF (r = 0.67; p < 0.01) in DNS patients. A significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed between PVDF nasal sensor measurements and PNIF measurements of the DNS and the control group. A cutoff between normal and pathological of 0.51 Vp-p for PVDF nasal sensor and 120 L/min for PNIF was calculated. No significant difference in terms of sensitivity of PVDF nasal sensor and PNIF (89.7% versus 82.6%) and specificity (80.5% versus 78.8%) was calculated. Conclusion: The result shows that PVDF measurements closely agree with PNIF findings. Developed PVDF nasal sensor is an objective method that is simple, inexpensive, fast, and portable for determining DNS in clinical practice.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Deviated nasal septum (DNS) is one of the major causes of nasal obstruction. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nasal sensor is the new technique developed to assess the nasal obstruction caused by DNS. This study evaluates the PVDF nasal sensor measurements in comparison with PEAK nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) measurements and visual analog scale (VAS) of nasal obstruction. Methods: Because of piezoelectric property, two PVDF nasal sensors provide output voltage signals corresponding to the right and left nostril when they are subjected to nasal airflow. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the voltage signal corresponding to nasal airflow was analyzed to assess the nasal obstruction. PVDF nasal sensor and PNIF were performed on 30 healthy subjects and 30 DNS patients. Receiver operating characteristic was used to analyze the DNS of these two methods. Results: Measurements of PVDF nasal sensor strongly correlated with findings of PNIF (r = 0.67; p < 0.01) in DNS patients. A significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed between PVDF nasal sensor measurements and PNIF measurements of the DNS and the control group. A cutoff between normal and pathological of 0.51 Vp-p for PVDF nasal sensor and 120 L/min for PNIF was calculated. No significant difference in terms of sensitivity of PVDF nasal sensor and PNIF (89.7% versus 82.6%) and specificity (80.5% versus 78.8%) was calculated. Conclusion: The result shows that PVDF measurements closely agree with PNIF findings. Developed PVDF nasal sensor is an objective method that is simple, inexpensive, fast, and portable for determining DNS in clinical practice. |
| 3. | Manjunatha, Roopa G; Rajanna, K; Mahapatra, Roy D; Nayak, M M Differentiability between normal and respiratory tract disorder respiration pattern using smart sensor Presentation 07.09.2013. BibTeX @misc{Manjunatha2013,
title = {Differentiability between normal and respiratory tract disorder respiration pattern using smart sensor},
author = {G. Roopa Manjunatha and K. Rajanna and D. Roy Mahapatra and M. M. Nayak},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-07},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 6th ISSS National Conference on MEMS, Smart Materials, Structures and Systems, India},
pages = {126-129},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}
|
| 4. | Manjunatha, Roopa G; Ranjith, N; Meghashree, Y V; Rajanna, K; Mahapatra, Roy D Identification of different respiratory rate by a piezo polymer based nasal sensor Conference Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Sensors Conference, 03.-6.11.13, Baltimore (USA), 2013. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: @conference{Manjunatha2013b,
title = {Identification of different respiratory rate by a piezo polymer based nasal sensor},
author = {G. Roopa Manjunatha and N. Ranjith and Y. V. Meghashree and K. Rajanna and D. Roy Mahapatra},
url = {http://www.rbccps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/06688479.pdf},
doi = {10.1109/ICSENS.2013.6688479},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-12-19},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Sensors Conference, 03.-6.11.13, Baltimore (USA)},
pages = {1398-1401},
abstract = {In this paper, we present a new nasal sensor system developed using Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezo polymer in cantilever configuration and its applicability for measuring human Respiration Rate (RR). Two identical PVDF nasal sensors are mounted on a headphone such that they are located below Right Nostril (RN) and Left Nostril (LN), in such a way that the nasal airflow during inspiration and expiration impinge on sensors. Due to nasal airflow, piezoelectric natured PVDF nasal sensors generate corresponding voltage signals. The RR is the number of breaths per minute (bpm). The RR was determined from the filtered respiratory signals, by computing a power spectral density (PSD) spectrum using Welch method of averaged periodograms. The developed PVDF nasal sensors were capable of identifying different RR corresponding to normal (18.5±1.5 bpm), tachypnea (34.5±4 bpm), and bradypnea (10.5±2.2 bpm) similar to 'Gold standard' Respiratory Inductance Plethysmograph (RIP) method and Nasal Prongs (NP).},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
In this paper, we present a new nasal sensor system developed using Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezo polymer in cantilever configuration and its applicability for measuring human Respiration Rate (RR). Two identical PVDF nasal sensors are mounted on a headphone such that they are located below Right Nostril (RN) and Left Nostril (LN), in such a way that the nasal airflow during inspiration and expiration impinge on sensors. Due to nasal airflow, piezoelectric natured PVDF nasal sensors generate corresponding voltage signals. The RR is the number of breaths per minute (bpm). The RR was determined from the filtered respiratory signals, by computing a power spectral density (PSD) spectrum using Welch method of averaged periodograms. The developed PVDF nasal sensors were capable of identifying different RR corresponding to normal (18.5±1.5 bpm), tachypnea (34.5±4 bpm), and bradypnea (10.5±2.2 bpm) similar to 'Gold standard' Respiratory Inductance Plethysmograph (RIP) method and Nasal Prongs (NP). |
| 5. | Manjunatha, Roopa G; Rajanna, K; Mahapatra, Roy D; Dorasala, Srinivas Piezoelectric sensing: Evaluation for clinical investigation of deviated nasal septum Journal Article Allergy & Rhinology, 4 (3), pp. 140-150, 2013. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: @article{Manjunatha2013b,
title = {Piezoelectric sensing: Evaluation for clinical investigation of deviated nasal septum},
author = {G. Roopa Manjunatha and K. Rajanna and D. Roy Mahapatra and Srinivas Dorasala},
url = {http://www.rbccps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/s5.pdf},
doi = {10.2500/ar.2013.4.0066},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-10-31},
journal = {Allergy & Rhinology},
volume = {4},
number = {3},
pages = {140-150},
abstract = {Noninvasive objective evaluation of nasal airflow is one of the important clinical aspects. The developed polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensor enables measurement of airflow through each side of the nose using its piezoelectric property. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic capability of the PVDF sensor in assessing the deviated nasal septum (DNS). PVDF nasal sensor uses its piezoelectric property to measure the peak-to-peak amplitude (Vp-p) of nasal airflow in both of the nostrils: right nostril (RN) and left nostril (LN), separately and simultaneously. We have compared the results of PVDF nasal sensor, visual analog scale (VAS), and clinician scale for 34 DNS patients and 28 healthy controls. Additionally, the results were further analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve and correlation between PVDF nasal sensor and VAS in detecting DNS. We found a significant difference in the peak-to-peak amplitude values of the test group and the control group. The correlation between the PVDF nasal sensor measurements and VAS (RN and LN combined) for test group was statistically significant (−0.807; p < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of the PVDF nasal sensor measurements in the detection of DNS (RN and LN combined) was 85.3 and 74.4%, respectively, with optimum cutoff value ≤0.34 Vp-p. The developed PVDF nasal sensor is noninvasive and requires less patient efforts. The sensitivity and specificity of the PVDF nasal sensor are reliable. According to our findings, we propose that the said PVDF nasal sensor can be used as a new diagnostic tool to evaluate the DNS in routine clinical practice.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Noninvasive objective evaluation of nasal airflow is one of the important clinical aspects. The developed polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensor enables measurement of airflow through each side of the nose using its piezoelectric property. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic capability of the PVDF sensor in assessing the deviated nasal septum (DNS). PVDF nasal sensor uses its piezoelectric property to measure the peak-to-peak amplitude (Vp-p) of nasal airflow in both of the nostrils: right nostril (RN) and left nostril (LN), separately and simultaneously. We have compared the results of PVDF nasal sensor, visual analog scale (VAS), and clinician scale for 34 DNS patients and 28 healthy controls. Additionally, the results were further analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve and correlation between PVDF nasal sensor and VAS in detecting DNS. We found a significant difference in the peak-to-peak amplitude values of the test group and the control group. The correlation between the PVDF nasal sensor measurements and VAS (RN and LN combined) for test group was statistically significant (−0.807; p < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of the PVDF nasal sensor measurements in the detection of DNS (RN and LN combined) was 85.3 and 74.4%, respectively, with optimum cutoff value ≤0.34 Vp-p. The developed PVDF nasal sensor is noninvasive and requires less patient efforts. The sensitivity and specificity of the PVDF nasal sensor are reliable. According to our findings, we propose that the said PVDF nasal sensor can be used as a new diagnostic tool to evaluate the DNS in routine clinical practice. |
[sta_anchor id=”Indoor”]Indoor positioning and navigation of motorized objects
Principal Investigator
Prof K. V. S. Hari (Chairman and Professor, Department of Electrical Communication Engineering)
Duration
17 August 2012 to 16 August 2013
Unmanned motorized vehicles are used in hazardous situations for disaster management. These situations can be anything ranging from fire, earthquakes, to other types of calamities (nuclear/chemical) where initially humans cannot be involved directly. This project aimed to develop an inertial navigation system (INS) for four vehicles moving in an indoor environment, in order to track their position indoors and also control them accordingly from outside. This is possible through the use of an inertial measure unit (IMU), which provides the position and a camera provides the visual and these are transmitted over the Wi-Fi to the command station.
To go about building this, (1) a blueprint of the hardware system required for the four vehicles was prepared. This included identifying the hardware components for the system; such as the IMU, microcontrollers, wireless devices, battery packs and devices to provide visualization. With this in hand, (2) a prototype of the system was developed. The navigation algorithms are written in Matlab and C++, for porting onto the embedded system, which in our case is the BeagleBoard. The network modules for the communication between the vehicle and command station are setup using Wi-Fi. Also, a webcam is installed on the vehicle to provide visualization support. Having the system ready, (3) it was tested by collecting data and analysing the positioning details. The stop-and-go motion, on which the vehicle was designed to move, warranted a better threshold in order to get accurate distance and trajectory. This led to further modifications in the algorithm, to suit the system better. The video streaming was also tested simultaneously and found to be functioning as required.
Apart from this, the battery pack was improved upon, for superior functioning and compactness. The range of the Wi-Fi was tested with different dongles. The vehicle was tracked and the trajectory the path taken was plotted too.
[sta_anchor id=”Jewellery”]Jewellery embedded with sensors and bluetooth chips and interfaced to a mobile phone and/or computers
Principal Investigator
Prof G. K. Ananthasuresh (Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Duration
17 August 2012 to 16 August 2013
The project aimed to create a cognitive ring that – using hand-gestures – can interface with a smart phone, a computer and physical devices. The main task was to design, fabricate, and integrate a three-axis accelerometer, Bluetooth chip, and micro-controller chip into the small form-factor of the ring. Writing the necessary code was also part of the project.
Based on the literature survey and market studies done, currently the available devices which employ similar technologies are pedometers, wrist watches and other health parameters measuring devices. For gesture recognition wrist watches and inertial sensor based devices used in game consoles are available. Most of the game console controllers depend on line of sight, and a purely sensor driven game controller which does not rely on line of sight is not still available.
Patent Application
Saxena, Dhruv; Mehrota, Pragati; Rao Hiteshwar; Ananthasuresh, G. K.
A method for recognizing gestures using an accelerometer mounted onto a wearable device
Indian Patent Application No. 5699/CHE/2013 (24.06.16)
[sta_anchor id=”Touch”]Touch screen anywhere
Principal Investigator
Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur (Chairman, Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-Physical Systems)
Duration
17 August 2012 to 16 August 2013
We explored two threads for this activity. One was based on Microsoft’s Kinect platform to extract depth information, and the other was to use a standard camera for doing the same. In the Kinect approach, the Kinect system provides the depth information for any object placed in front of it. Thus the depth info for the fingers are obtained and then thresholded to determine if they have touched the surface. Kinect relies on a infrared structured light pattern projection, coupled with an IR camera to image the pattern. The pattern’s distortions are then analysed to extract the depth map.
In the second approach, we used a standard camera to image a structured light pattern modulation of the projected image. This enabled us to use any camera for such application. Furthermore, the modulation region is restricted to the places near the finger tips to minimize image quality degradation.
[sta_anchor id=”Ultralow”]Ultralow detection of ammonia using nanoparticles based chemiresistor sensors
Principal Investigator
Prof Karuna Kar Nanda (Professor, Materials Research Centre)
Duration
17 August 2012 to 16 August 2013
Undetected ammonia might lead to severe burns on skin, eyes, throat, or lungs causing permanent blindness, lung disease, kidney and liver malfunction, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and ulcers. Sensors based on optical, electrical, and chemical detection have attracted significant attention. It is desirable to detect few ppb (parts-per-billion) level or below for useful medical applications and environmental monitoring. Efforts are being made to detect ammonia concentration in wide range starting from ppb to ppm (parts-per-million) level and especially, at room temperature.
We synthesize Au nanoparticles by one-step green synthesis method using polysaccharide (Guar Gum, GG) as the reducing as well as capping agents. First, we demonstrated GG/AuNPs nanocomposite (GG/AuNPs NC) for detection of aqueous ammonia based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). It has good reproducibility, response times of 10 s and excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 1 pp. We also followed the chemiresitive method based on the change in the current with ammonia concentration. Here, we have reported for the first time an ultrasensitive gold nanoparticles based room temperature sensor that can detect ammonia level in urine and quantify the urea level in it. The sensor can detect sub parts-per-quadrillion (ppq) of ammonia which is the lowest ever achieved at room temperature. Sensitivity, stability, reproducibility and durability studies revealed excellent device properties that can be explored as ammonia sensor for environmental and medical applications.
Project Publications
| 1. | Pandey, Sandanand; Nanda, Karuna K Au nanocomposite based chemiresistive Ammonia sensor for health monitoring Journal Article ACS Sensors, 1 (1), pp. 55-62, 2016. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: @article{Pandey2016,
title = {Au nanocomposite based chemiresistive Ammonia sensor for health monitoring},
author = {Sandanand Pandey and Karuna K. Nanda},
url = {http://www.rbccps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/acssensors.5b00013.pdf},
doi = {10.1021/acssensors.5b00013},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-29},
journal = {ACS Sensors},
volume = {1},
number = {1},
pages = {55-62},
abstract = {We have developed a fast and highly sensitive chemiresistive sensor based on the nanocomposite of polysaccharide (guar gum) and gold nanoparticles for the room temperature detection of ammonia in the range of 0.1 parts-per-quadrillion (ppq) to 75 000 parts-per-million (ppm). Sensor response, selectivity, and stability studies reveal excellent sensing of the nanocomposite. The room temperature operation under ambient conditions and the wide range sensing indicates that the composites can be explored for environmental as well as biomedical applications. We have for the first time quantified the ammonia level released from the urine and blood serum of human beings using the resisitive sensor. The urine ammonia level was found to be ∼24 000 ppm and is higher for patients with renal problems. This demonstrated the utility of the sensor for health monitoring.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We have developed a fast and highly sensitive chemiresistive sensor based on the nanocomposite of polysaccharide (guar gum) and gold nanoparticles for the room temperature detection of ammonia in the range of 0.1 parts-per-quadrillion (ppq) to 75 000 parts-per-million (ppm). Sensor response, selectivity, and stability studies reveal excellent sensing of the nanocomposite. The room temperature operation under ambient conditions and the wide range sensing indicates that the composites can be explored for environmental as well as biomedical applications. We have for the first time quantified the ammonia level released from the urine and blood serum of human beings using the resisitive sensor. The urine ammonia level was found to be ∼24 000 ppm and is higher for patients with renal problems. This demonstrated the utility of the sensor for health monitoring. |
| 2. | Pandey, Sadanand; Goswami, Gopal K; Nanda, Karuna K Green synthesis of polysaccharide/gold nanoparticle nanocomposite: An efficient ammonia sensor Journal Article Carbohydrate Polymers, 94 (1), pp. 229-234, 2013. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: @article{Pandey2013,
title = {Green synthesis of polysaccharide/gold nanoparticle nanocomposite: An efficient ammonia sensor},
author = {Sadanand Pandey and Gopal K. Goswami and Karuna K. Nanda},
url = {http://www.rbccps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1-s2.0-S0144861713000131-main.pdf},
doi = {10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.01.009},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-04-15},
journal = {Carbohydrate Polymers},
volume = {94},
number = {1},
pages = {229-234},
abstract = {A low cost eco-friendly method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using guar gum (GG) as a reducing agent is reported. The nanoparticles obtained are characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on these results, a potential mechanism for this method of AuNPs synthesis is discussed. GG/AuNPs nanocomposite (GG/AuNPs NC) was exploited for optical sensor for detection of aqueous ammonia based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). It was found to have good reproducibility, response times of ∼10 s and excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 1 ppb (parts-per-billion). This system allows the rapid production of an ultra-low-cost GG/AuNPs NC-based aqueous ammonia sensor.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A low cost eco-friendly method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using guar gum (GG) as a reducing agent is reported. The nanoparticles obtained are characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on these results, a potential mechanism for this method of AuNPs synthesis is discussed. GG/AuNPs nanocomposite (GG/AuNPs NC) was exploited for optical sensor for detection of aqueous ammonia based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). It was found to have good reproducibility, response times of ∼10 s and excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 1 ppb (parts-per-billion). This system allows the rapid production of an ultra-low-cost GG/AuNPs NC-based aqueous ammonia sensor. |
[sta_anchor id=”Wireless”]Wireless force and torque sensors for applications in complex fluids and biomechanics
Principal Investigator
Prof Prabhu R. Nott (Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering)
Duration
17 August 2012 to 16 August 2013
Granular flows occur widely in industrial processes (processing of food grains, mineral ores, pharmaceutical powders) and in natural phenomena (avalanches, mud slides), yet their mechanics is poorly understood. A major factor hampering the control of processes involving granular flow, such as filling detergent sachets or dosing a drug capsule, is the poor quality of instrumentation available for these systems when compared to fluids.
In our laboratory, we expanded our understanding of the kinematics and rheology of such materials by making careful measurements in simple flows of model granular materials, experiments and using them to refine continuum theories. We find the need for measuring the stress on a rotating cylinder that is immersed in a granular material. This requires the signals to be transmitted wirelessly from the sensor. Wireless transceivers are commercially available from many sources, but are proved unsuitable for our purpose as we required wireless transmission of voltage signals that can vary over a wide range. The innovation in this product therefore is in building a custom-made, small, low-cost, and accurate sensor-cum-transceiver unit, that adapts to the strength of the signal. Another useful consequence of this project was the development of a sensor for granular materials that may be used for flow control.