Process for 3D printing assisted multiscale architecture for sensing applications

Patent details

Status

Indian patent filed

Inventors

Monsur Islam, De Yi Wang

Application number

202511103219

Applicant

IMDEA Materials Institute and Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur

Priority date

27/10/2025

Transfer opportunity

Technology License

Summary

3D-printed multiscale gas sensing architecture for room-temperature detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The technology combines additive manufacturing with functional conductive materials to create lightweight, porous sensing structures with high surface accessibility, fast signal generation, and good selectivity. It is suited to compact, low-power gas sensing solutions for environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and smart devices.

Description

This technology relates to a new class of gas sensors based on a 3D-printed architected scaffold that is converted into a conductive porous structure and functionalised for NO₂ sensing. The resulting device is designed to operate at room temperature. It avoids the complexity typically associated with conventional sensor manufacturing routes, such as thin-film coating, sintering, or heater-assisted operation. The multiscale architecture improves gas access to and interaction with the active material, supporting stable, repeatable sensing performance in a lightweight, potentially scalable format. The platform is particularly attractive for next-generation sensing systems, where low energy consumption, design flexibility, and integration with portable or distributed devices are important.

Advantages

  • Room-temperature operation, reducing energy demand compared to gas sensors that rely on elevated temperatures.
  • 3D-printed porous architecture, enabling improved gas diffusion and a high degree of structural design flexibility.
  • Simplified and potentially lower-cost fabrication compared with conventional microfabrication-based sensing technologies.
  • Good sensitivity, selectivity, and repeatability for NO₂ detection in a compact, self-supported structure.
  • Suitable platform for portable, distributed, and application-specific gas sensing in environmental, industrial, and health-related settings.

Contact

Technology Transfer and Innovation Office, IMDEA Materials Institute

Email: techtransfer@imdeamaterials.org

Telephone: +34 91 5493422