High Specificity Conducting Polymer CBS Detector Badge

As the threat of chemical and biological weapons and terrorism increases, innovative sensors are becoming critical for protection of military and civilian personnel in a variety of situations. To address this threat, we propose to develop mass producible credit-card sized chemical sensors based on catalytically modified conducting polymers. The polymers will be further mixed or overcoated with one or more layers that selectively adsorb or react with the agent/analyte. The change in conductivity is elicited by an effective change in work function or oxidation/reduction (redox) level associated with adsorption of the analyte or analyte product on the underlying conducting polymer surface. The conductometric element will be based on an array structure shown previously at EIC to give an exceptional dynamic range. Using this approach, it is anticipated that highly specific and sensitive individual vapor sensors will be possible for a wide range of chemical agents. Phase I will entail demonstration of the concept for sensing organophosphorous compounds, addressing issues of selectivity, sensitivity and stability. Phase II will extend the devices to a broad range of possible agents, including extensive testing at a surety facility, and will address issues of scale-up and manufacturing.