WIROX · Oxide Nanostructures for Wireless Chemical Sensing

Oxide Nanostructures for Wireless Chemical Sensing

Wireless sensor nodes (the so called ”Smart Dust”) are autonomous devices incorporating sensing, power, computation, and communication into one system. A few market applications have already been developed by vendors such as Dust, Inc., Crossbow Technology, Dust Networks and Sensicast in the form of motes which range in size from that of a short stack of euro coin to the size of a deck of cards. The motes usually incorporate basic environmental sensors like position, temperature, pressure, humidity, light, sound, acceleration and magnetic fields. Low Power consumption and a way to "scavenge" energy (through low cost solar cells) is mandatory to make smart-dust devices run longer, since it would be costly, inconvenient, ot impossible to retrieve a mote in order to replace its batteries. The objective of the WIROX project has been to pack together scientists from top level institutions and train young researchers to the twofold task of developing self-heated NW based chemical sensors and Solar Cells. Meanwhile in order to assess the technology, nanostructured thin film MOX sensors of conductometric and TFT type have been developed and used as benchmark for the novel MOX nanowires gas sensors. WIROX was formulated with a strong focus on strengthening research partnerships through short period staff exchanges and networking activities between five European research organisations from four countries (two from the central and three from the south) and three prominent Institutions/organisations from three “third countries” located in different continents with which the EU has an S&T agreement: 1. UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BRESCIA (UNIBS) Italy EU Coordinator 2. CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (CNRBS) Italy EU 3. FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS (FORTH) Greece EU 4. UNIVERSITAET ZU KOELN (UNICO) Germany EU 5. FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE RECERCA DE L'ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA (IREC) Spain EU 6. QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (QUT) Australia (Third Country) 7. STITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE Canada (Third Country) 8. COUNCIL FOR SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (CSIR) South Africa (Third Country) From 2012 to 2015, the WIROX project has generated a total of 58 secondments to and from Third Countries partners, for a total of 106.5 person months spent. As for dissemination, most important achievements have been: • 33 publications on international journals • 21 invited talks at international conferences • A final WIROX workshop titled "Integrating Energy Harvesting and Chemical Sensing: the Experience within the EU project WIROX and Beyond" will be held on Sunday 9th October as.a satellite event at next TCM meeting http://www.tcm2016.org/welcome.html. During the workshop COST action Eunetair and To-Be will be presented by their coordinators. A huge effort has been carried out in training complementary expertise of the partners and creating synergies. Transfer of knowledge has been obtained and a basis for sustainable cooperation generated. Partners established long term and enduring collaborations in the frame of the WIROX partnership: Memorandum of Understandings have been signed between EU and Third Countries partners while other are ongoing.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union