Nanotechnology-Enhanced Sensor for Toxic Industrial Chemicals

Chlorine gas was first used as a weapon during World War I, and reemerged as a threat in Iraq compounding the dangers from existing improvised explosive devices. One of the significant challenges with preventing attacks that involve toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) like chlorine and ammonia is that they have genuine civilian uses for water treatment, in refrigeration systems, and other applications, that makes it impossible to outlaw their sale and possession. In order to address this, Streamline Automation proposes to develop a thin-film voltammetric gas sensor that utilizes nano-scale features to enhance sensitivity to TICs. Physics based modeling will be used to guide the sensor design. Fabrication techniques developed and demonstrated during Phase 1 will be used to ensure successful fabrication of Phase 2 prototype sensors. The prototype sensors will be tested with an emphasis on demonstrating selectivity between similar chemical targets.