Manufacturing nano-structured photonic structures for chemical sensing

This project seeks to evaluate the feasibility of combining chemical sensing technology from SensorHut with high-tech materials and manufacturing processes from G24. SensorHut is a micro-SME based in Cambridge with patent-pending technology for optical chemical sensors that exploits a nano-structured photonic material. G24 is a world leader in the design and manufacture of dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC) with a manufacturing facility based in Newport. One component of the G24 DSSCs is a nano-structured layer of TiO2 nanoparticles. This project will explore the feasibility of using this same layer and tuning G24’s manufacturing methods to suit SensorHut’s requirements. This has the potential to significantly reduce the use of toxic chemicals and cost of SensorHut’s manufacturing processes while maintaining sensor performance.