Iranian nano device quickly detects ultraviolet beam

According to Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC), the laboratorial object can be used in aerospace industry to monitor stars and also in flame detection in various industries.

Ultraviolet beams can be used in disinfection of water, foodstuff, medical devices and industrial equipment due to their high energy. Since nanomaterials have the best performance in detecting and responding and they operate at room temperature, the aim of this research was to produce UV beam detector by using nanomaterials for various wavelengths.

According to the researchers, the detector has been designed in a way that it has lower production cost in comparison with similar models. It also has a very high speed and accuracy. In this research, silicon/silica core-shell nanoparticles have been synthesized and placed on gold comb-type electrodes. The produced device has been used as the detector of UV beam.

The size of nanoparticles determines the wavelength of the absorbed wave. In fact, the wavelength can be changed by changing the size of nanoparticles, and the ability to absorb various wavelengths can be created in one object. In addition, nanoparticles surface highly affects the physical properties. The speed of detection can be controlled by carrying out surface modification on the nanoparticles.

Results of the research have been published in Journal of Electronic Materials, vol. 43, issue 4, 2014, pp. 1249-1254.