Sensors (Jul 2017)

A Miniaturized QEPAS Trace Gas Sensor with a 3D-Printed Acoustic Detection Module

  • Xiaotao Yang,
  • Youhong Xiao,
  • Yufei Ma,
  • Ying He,
  • Frank K. Tittel

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081750
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 8
p. 1750

Abstract

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A 3D printing technique was introduced to a quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor and is reported for the first time. The acoustic detection module (ADM) was designed and fabricated using the 3D printing technique and the ADM volume was compressed significantly. Furthermore, a small grin lens was used for laser focusing and facilitated the beam adjustment in the 3D-printed ADM. A quartz tuning fork (QTF) with a low resonance frequency of 30.72 kHz was used as the acoustic wave transducer and acetylene (C2H2) was chosen as the analyte. The reported miniaturized QEPAS trace gas sensor is useful in actual sensor applications.

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