Application of commercial automotive sensor manufacturing methods for NOx/NH3 mixed potential sensors for on-board emissions control

The article details the application of commercial manufacturing methods towards the development of NOx/NH3 sensors for vehicle on-board emissions control. These sensors possess a unique mixed potential sensor design. This unique LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) design results in improved sensitivity, selectivity and response time over conventional mixed potential sensors incorporating a stable three-phase interface using a porous electrolyte coated over a dense electrode. A prototype gas sensing platform conducive to large-scale manufacturing and commercialization is also been presented. The observed results indicate the possibility of evolution towards a combined NOx/NH3 sensor on the same platform. Finally, critical challenges towards developing field deployable mixed potential NOx/NH3 sensors are identified and discussed.