2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Developing an Oxygen Sensor Using a Hearing Aid Zinc-Air Battery

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Carol Baumbauer

Abstract

Oxygen sensors are widely used across industries for safety, research, and environmental sustainability. Zinc-air batteries produce an electric current based on the concentration of oxygen in the environment and can be repurposed to become an affordable oxygen sensor. However, zinc-air batteries are also sensitive to temperature, humidity, and pressure. Here we show a zinc-air battery which accurately senses oxygen concentration while accounting for noise and humidity, and found a slightly non-linear relationship between current and oxygen. By adding a quadratic correction factor, we derived a formula to calculate oxygen concentration within 0.1% accuracy of a commercial-grade sensor. These findings allow for a much more affordable alternative to commercial oxygen sensors without sacrificing significant accuracy. The cost of the commercial-grade oxygen sensor used was about $400, while the estimated cost of our developed oxygen sensor is about $30. The simplicity of our design also allows for reproducible oxygen sensors for researchers seeking more affordable options.

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