Physics and technology of thick film sensors and their applications for environmental gas monitoring

Nanostructured thick film gas sensor based on semiconducting oxides appears as an excellent candidate for a large-scale distribution of environmental detection points. In this paper we show that semiconducting oxides-based thick film gas sensors exhibit adequate properties for atmospheric environmental monitoring provided that the physical and microstructural properties of the materials are properly correlated to the required electrical features. To demonstrate the possibility of using semiconducting thick film gas sensors for the atmospheric environmental monitoring, the sensors were tested in laboratory and in the field. They have been placed in an array inserted in a self-consistent unit and exposed to real atmosphere beside a conventional station of environmental monitoring nearby a cross light in Ferrara. The conventional monitoring station is controlled by ARPA (Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention) - Section of Ferrara. The electrical response of the thick films based on...