As technology evolves and continues to get smarter and smaller, a researcher who develops microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), at Binghamton University, which is part of the State University of New York system, Professor Mohammad Younis fits tiny mechanical devices into spaces no bigger than a microchip, so simplicity is his mantra.
Younis, a faculty member at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, just received a $335,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test an ultrasensitive gas detection MEMS device with autonomous actuation.
By improving the use of lithium-ion batteries, Younis will connect the research to wider Binghamton University initiatives such as the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, Battery-NY, the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage, and New Energy New York.
Intelligent System
“I don’t work on just sensors. I want the sensor to be part of a complete intelligent system,” he said. “In this case, it would be a sensor, an actuator, and the ability to make a decision based on one input or two inputs, all in the same MEMS device. I’m always intrigued about this idea that I can replace a complicated system of sensors, actuators, controllers, and decision units.”
Because it is a self-contained device, it doesn’t need to transmit data for processing and activation. As Younis points out, that solves two problems: No need to expend energy to send its findings somewhere else, and no concerns about possible cybersecurity risks.
Professor Mohammad Younis works with PhD students Hasan Albatayneh, left, and Basil Alattar at his lab on developing and testing an ultrasensitive gas detection MEMS device.
Source: SUNY Binghamton
“We are overwhelming the network and the cloud with too much data,” he said. “Also, although sensors are cheap, it’s not free when you transmit so much data from them, and processing the data is not free.”
The hydrogen-detecting sensor that Younis designed features a vibrating wire and works on the principle of thermal conductivity. When the gas is present, the wire cools and becomes stiffer, lowering the rate of vibration and triggering the alarm.
“The dynamical mechanism of this sensor is much more sensitive than a static mechanism, and I was among the first to do it using dynamics,” he said. “Most researchers do thermal conductivity, with just passive electrical current. As a mechanical engineer, my passion is always on dynamics.”
Teamwork
Additionally, Younis is teaming up with Professor Roya Maboudian, the chair of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of California – Berkeley.
Maboudian researches metal-organic frameworks (MOF), a class of polymers with porous structures that can end up used for gas storage. By coating the MEMS device with MOFs, any increased mass when the polymers capture carbon dioxide can also trigger an alert.
If this MEMS technology ends up developed successfully, the researchers could adapt it for a wide variety of sensor needs.
“The application is not limited to gases. It can be magnetic, pressure, acceleration, or any other stimulus. I’m a mechanical engineer, so I don’t have a loyal attachment to gases,” Younis said.