A gas sensor element (10) which includes an element body portion (100); a pump cell (110) which is configured to adjust a concentration of oxygen in a gas to be measured which is introduced into the element body portion (100); a detection chamber (160) which is formed inside the element body portion (100) and into which the gas to be measured in which the concentration of oxygen has been adjusted is introduced; and a layer-shaped cathode electrode (133) which is housed in the detection chamber (160) and configured to decompose NO. A relationship between a volume V1 of the detection chamber (160) and a volume V2 of the cathode electrode (133) in the gas sensor element (10) satisfies either one of conditions (A) and (B) as defined herein.

A gas sensor includes a sensor element including an adjustment pump cell and a measurement pump cell, and a control unit including a pump control part. The pump control part performs a startup pump control at a startup of the sensor element, and a steady driving pump control at a steady drive after the startup. In the startup pump control, the pump control part applies, between an inner pump electrode and an outer pump electrode of the adjustment pump cell, a startup voltage of the adjustment pump cell that is higher than a voltage applied in the steady driving pump control; and applies, between an inner measurement electrode and an outer measurement electrode of the measurement pump cell, a startup voltage of the measurement pump cell that is higher than a voltage applied in the steady driving pump control and lower than the startup voltage of the adjustment pump cell.

A gas sensor assembling method includes a step for placing an element dummy such that it has a longitudinal direction in a vertical direction, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the dummy is similar to the cross-sectional shape of a sensor element, a step for fitting a through hole in an annularly-mounted member to the dummy from above vertically, wherein the through hole included in the annularly-mounted member corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the sensor element, a step for fitting a tubular member to an outer periphery of the annularly-mounted member from above vertically, an step for placing the sensor element in contact with an upper end portion of the dummy on a single straight line, and an step for descending the dummy downwardly vertically for descending the sensor element and fitting the through hole in the annularly-mounted member to the sensor element.

A compact microelectronic gas sensor module includes electrical contacts formed in such a way that they do not consume real estate on an integrated circuit chip. Using such a design, the package can be miniaturized further. The gas sensor is packaged together with a custom-designed Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that provides circuitry for processing sensor signals to identify gas species within a sample under test. In one example, the output signal strength of the sensor is enhanced by providing an additional metal surface area in the form of pillars exposed to an electrolytic gas sensing compound, while reducing the overall package size. In some examples, bottom side contacts are formed on the underside of the substrate on which the gas sensor is formed. Sensor electrodes may be electrically coupled to the ASIC directly, or indirectly by vias.

A NO.sub.2 gas sensing element includes an electrolyte, a reference electrode in contact with the electrolyte, and a sensing electrode selective to NO.sub.2 in contact with the electrolyte spaced apart from the reference electrode. The NO.sub.2 selective sensing electrode includes an oxide material comprising: (1) a mixed oxide according to the formula (Mn.sub.2-u-v-wCo.sub.vMg.sub.wSiO.sub.4-u)+ξ(Mn.sub.3Al.sub.2Si.sub.3O.sub.12)+δ(SiO.sub.2), wherein 0≦(u+v+w)≦2.0, 0≦ξ≦0.5, and 0≦δ≦0.1; (2) a mixed oxide according to the formula (Mn.sub.2-x-y-zCo.sub.yMg.sub.zSiO.sub.4-x)+ξ(ZnO)+δ(SiO.sub.2), wherein 0≦(u+v+w)≦2.0, 0≦ξ≦0.5, and 0≦δ≦0.1; or combinations of mixed oxides (1) and (2).

A gas sensor includes a sensor element and a control unit for controlling the sensor element. The sensor element includes a main pump cell, an auxiliary pump cell, a measurement pump cell, and a reference electrode, wherein, in the main pump cell, a repeatedly on-off controlled main pump current is applied so that an auxiliary pump current flowing through the auxiliary pump cell is at a predetermined target current value, and, in the auxiliary pump cell, the auxiliary pump current is applied so that an electromotive force between an inner auxiliary pump electrode and the reference electrode is at a predetermined target voltage value. The control unit includes: a control power supply for applying the repeatedly on-off controlled main pump current; and a setting part for setting the target voltage value based on an electric potential difference generated between the inner main pump electrode and the reference electrode.

A gas sensor that detects a specific gas concentration in a measurement-object gas, the gas sensor includes: a sensor element having an element body provided with a measurement-object gas flow section therein, the measurement-object gas flow section introducing the measurement-object gas, a measurement electrode disposed in the measurement-object gas flow section, a measurement-object-gas side electrode provided on the element body, a reference electrode, a reference-gas introduction section that causes a reference gas to flow to the reference electrode, and a reference-gas adjustment pump cell constituted by including the measurement-object-gas side electrode and the reference electrode; and a controller that performs a moisture-concentration decrease process of controlling the reference-gas adjustment pump cell so that oxygen is pumped out from a periphery of the reference electrode to a periphery of the measurement-object-gas side electrode to decrease a moisture concentration around the reference electrode.

A sensor element for detecting a physical property of a gas includes: a solid electrolyte film; a first end area and a second end area situated diametrically opposite in the longitudinal direction; a functional element in the first end area in the interior which is electrically conductively connected to a contact surface situated in the second end area on the outer surface, the electrically conductive connection having a strip conductor running essentially in the longitudinal direction in the interior of the sensor element; and a reference gas channel running essentially in the longitudinal direction of the sensor element communicating with a reference gas outside of the sensor element via a reference gas opening, the strip conductor and the reference gas channel being situated in such a way that at least a partial overlap occurs between them.

The present invention relates to a device, comprising at least one layer of an active material having a first optical thickness, the active material being selected so as to experience a change (i) of at least one size dimension, (ii) of the resistance, (iii) of the refractive index or (iv) combinations of two or more of the foregoing, when the active material is subjected to a change in environment, wherein at least one and preferably all of the layers of the at least one layer of the active material is composed of at least two nanosheets of the active material, with the at least two nanosheets randomly overlapping one another. The invention further relates to a nanosheet of active material and to a use of the nanosheet of the material.

A sensor element for detecting a parameter of a gas mixture in a gas chamber, having a first electrode and a first diffusion barrier layer arranged to be coupled to said first electrode in a predetermined first region, and arranged such that the gas mixture of the gas chamber only impinges on the first electrode in the first region via the first diffusion barrier layer. In addition, the sensor element has a second electrode arranged such that the gas mixture of the gas chamber impinges on the second electrode in a further first region. The sensor element includes a solid electrolyte designed to be coupled to the first and the second electrodes.