MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia University researcher hopes to create tiny, virtually invisible sensors that could monitor harmful gases in the environment.
Ed Sabolsky is using nanoscience, the study of matter on the atomic and molecular level.
He wants to monitor carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other gases from high-heat sources like coal-fired power plants.
Sabolsky's three-year research plan is funded by a nearly $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's University Coal Research program.
He says using nano-scale technology to track potentially harmful gas emissions could help create devices that are smaller, less expensive and more effective.
Sabolsky says the ultimate goal is to build ultra-clean power plants with near-zero emissions.
