2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Methane Sensors For Use in Soil: Fabrication Methods and Limits of Commercial Sensors

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Carol Baumbauer

Abstract

Environments that emit methane are important to monitor because methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Inexpensive resistive methane sensors can effectively measure high concentrations of methane (100-1000 ppm) in atmospheric concentrations of oxygen ( 21%). However, microbial methane emissions occur under humid, anaerobic conditions, with high concentrations of other gasses, which interferes with resistive methane sensor operation. Here we lay the groundwork for developing methane sensors that are optimized for use in low-oxygen environments by reviewing nanoparticle fabrication literature and characterizing commercial methane sensors. The literature documents how sensing layers can be made by producing tin (IV) oxide ink composed of nanoparticles in a colloidal suspension. Synthesizing nanoparticles from reagents and a precursor solution allows for fine control of nanoparticle size, which can improve sensor performance. Additionally, we tested commercially available resistive methane sensors in low oxygen concentrations and found that 2 of the 3 commercial sensors were still sensitive to methane in very low-oxygen environments. The results of future commercial sensor experiments will inform us on which conditions we need to optimize sensor performance for, and we use the nanoparticle fabrication literature to inform how we can optimize our sensors.

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