The new sensor can operate at 900℃

     Scientists in the United States have developed a new type of aluminum nitride sensor and confirmed that it can operate at temperatures as high as 900℃. Critical industries such as aerospace, energy, transportation and defense require sensors that can work in extreme environments to measure and monitor multiple factors to ensure personal safety and the integrity of mechanical systems. In the petrochemical industry, for example, sensors must be able to monitor pipeline pressure in climates ranging from desert heat to near-Arctic cold; All kinds of nuclear reactors operate in the temperature range of 300℃ to 1000℃; Deep geothermal Wells have temperatures as high as 600℃.

     The University of Houston team previously developed the III-N piezoelectric sensor, which is made from a single crystal gallium nitride film, but its sensitivity decreases at temperatures above 350 ° C. The drop in sensitivity is due to the fact that the band gap (the minimum amount of energy needed to excite electrons and provide conductivity) is not wide enough. To do so, they developed an aluminum nitride sensor and demonstrated that it can operate at temperatures around 1000℃, the highest operating temperature for piezoelectric sensors.

     In addition to operating at high temperatures, the new sensor is flexible and could be used to develop wearable sensors in the future for personal medicine and precision sensing soft robots.

     While both aluminum nitride and gallium nitride have unique and excellent properties for developing sensors capable of operating in extreme environments, aluminum nitride offers a wider band gap and a higher temperature range, according to the research team. They plan to further test the new sensor's performance in harsh real-world conditions, such as at nuclear power plants to test its potential to work under high pressure.