A Gas Sensor for Application as a Propane Leak Detector
José Trinidad Guillen Bonilla, Héctor Guillén-Bonilla, Verónica-María Rodríguez-Betancourtt, Alex Guillén-Bonilla, Antonio Casillas Zamora, Óscar Blanco-Alonso, Jorge Alberto Ramírez-Ortega
Abstract
A propane gas detector was built based on the semiconductor nickel antimonate oxide (NiSb 2 O 6 ) by means of an analog electronic circuit. The gas detector was designed for monitoring atmospheres where the leakage of propane gas could possibly occur. The prototype’s construction methodology is presented in 5 stages: (1) synthesis of NiSb 2 O 6 oxide powders, (2) characterization of the powders by XRD and TEM, (3) manufacture and electrical characterization of the chemical gas sensor, (4) design of the analog circuit based on the electrical response of the gas sensor, and (5) functionality tests. The gas detector was built at low cost and showed excellent functionality. The operating conditions were as follows: 200°C, gas concentration of 5 ppm, electronic circuit gain of 5, and sensor sensitivity of 0.41.