Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Microsystems and Solid State Technologies EMFTAir pollution is one of the greatest environmental and health risks worldwide. In urban areas in particular, pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) pose a significant burden on people and the environment. In the GaSeKa project (Gas Sensor System with Self-Calibration function), Fraunhofer EMFT and EC Sense are developing a novel, miniaturized sensor system for the precise and cost-effective detection of air pollutants. The goal is to enable a significantly higher density of measurement points in cities in the future - an important foundation for better health protection and effective air quality policies.
Mobile Air Quality Monitor with Smart Gas Sensors
From Stationary Stations to a Citywide Air Quality Monitor
Design of a Miniaturized Gas Sensor System for the Precise Detection of Air Pollutants
From Fixed Stations to a Mobile Air Quality Monitor
Air quality monitoring today relies primarily on a small number of stationary monitoring stations. While these provide very accurate data, they are costly and therefore available only in limited numbers. There has been a lack of sufficient monitoring points to ensure comprehensive coverage of air pollution - for example, along heavily trafficked roads or in densely populated urban areas.
Precise and Compact Measurement with Our Air Quality Sensor
The micropump is based on microstructured silicon components and enables the precise delivery of minute volumes of gas through the sensor chamber. This active gas flow control ensures defined measurement conditions and significantly improves the stability, accuracy, and reproducibility of the measurement results. This enables a measurement system that is significantly smaller and more energy-efficient than today’s reference devices. At the same time, active gas guidance allows for better control of measurement conditions and thus higher data quality.
In the GaSeKa project, Fraunhofer EMFT and the sensor specialist EC Sense are working closely together. While Fraunhofer EMFT contributes its expertise in the development of microstructured pumps and microfluidics, EC Sense provides its expertise in the field of electrochemical gas sensors.
Planning Sustainable Cities with Precise Air Quality Data
In the long term, the technology developed in the project could open up new possibilities for establishing dense sensor networks. These networks could enable significantly finer spatial resolution in air quality measurements, thereby providing valuable data for environmental monitoring, traffic planning, and health protection. In this way, GaSeKa helps create a sound basis for decision-making aimed at sustainable and healthy urban development.
The project “GaSeKa: Gas Sensor System with Self-Calibration Function” is funded by the Bavarian Transformation and Research Foundation under grant number AZ-1665-25.