The objective of this proposal is to bridge the gap in understanding of the surface chemistry, size, morphology, faceting and doping effects on receptor and transduction functions of nanowire based chemical sensors. The approach is to apply state of the art analytical spectromicroscopy coupled with electron transport measurements to the individual nanowire sensing elements wired as chemiresistors or field effect transistors and conduct the measurements in a wide pressure range. The intellectual merit of this work is based on the seeking of answers to the fundamental questions which are at the frontier of modern gas sensorics: (i) whether and what kind of new surface properties of 1-D MOx nanostructures will become prominent when their diameter shrinks to material's Debye length and bellow?; (ii) whether the interplay between surface chemistry and electron transport properties at this scale becomes progressively bi-directional (iii) what are the contributions of common electro-active imperfections to the sensing performance of the nanowire device? The potential broader impact this research on society will be via the development of a novel methodology to investigate in situ new nanoscopic sensors, fuel cells, catalysts, energy harvesting nanodevices and nanostructured filters. The experimental methods, protocols and tooling developed in this research are applicable to other fields of nanotechnology, (bio)chemistry and material science. The project contains the effective mechanisms for disseminating nanotechnology research to local high schools and community colleges in Southern Illinois. The inherent interdisciplinarity and collaborative nature of the proposed research will be used as vehicle to integrate research and education.
