Patent ID: 7529633
Filing Date: 2009-05-05
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for estimating a component of a gas, the method comprising: (1) providing a first array of spaced apart carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a chamber, at least one CNT in the first array being attached at a first CNT end to a first variable voltage source and having a relatively sharp CNT tip at a second CNT end of the at least one CNT, where the second CNT end of the at least one CNT in the first array is spaced apart a distance d, in a range of about 10-200 μm, from a substantially constant voltage plate; (2) providing a gas G, having at least one unknown gas component and having a pressure in a range of about 10 (3) identifying K candidate gas components, numbered k=1, . . . , K (K≧1) one or more of which may be present in the gas G; (4) providing a collection of pairs of estimated or known discharge voltage values and corresponding discharge holdoff times {V (5) providing measured values of a threshold discharge voltage value V (6) computing an error sum ε (7) when ε (8) when ε