A PASSIVE BADGE DOSIMETER FOR HCL DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT

THIS PROPOSAL INVOLVES THE USE OF ENCAPSULATED MICRODROPLETS TO BE EMPLOYED AS A PASSIVE DOSIMETER BADGE FOR HCL MEASUREMENTS. THE DROPLETS WILL CONTAIN PH SENSITIVE DYE MOLECULES DISSOLVED IN HOST LIQUID CRYSTAL MOLECULES. PERMEATION OF HCL MOLECULES THROUGH THE ULTRATHIN ENCASING POLYMERIC SKIN OF THE DROPLETS WILL RESULT IN A PH DRIVEN COLOR CHANGE. THIS COLOR CHANGE, AND HENCE TOTAL HCL EXPOSURE, WILL BE MONITORED SPECTROPHOTOMETRICALLY AFTER SPECIFIED ELASPED PERIODS OF TIME. THE HCL DOISMETER BADGE WILL BE LIGHTWEIGHT (LESS THAN 1 OZ.), AND THUS PORTABLE. THE TECHNIQUE PROPOSED IS IDEAL FOR MASS PRODUCTION AND WILL RESULT IN THE PRODUCTION OF A RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE BADGE. THE TECHNOLOGY PROPOSED IS BASED ON RECENT ADVANCES IN MICROENCAPSULATION METHODS DEVELOPED IN OUR LABORATORIES. THESE ADVANCES INCLUDE THE ABILITY TO FINE CONTROL DROPLET SIZE AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO ENCAPSULATE DYE MOLECULES AS GUEST MOLECULES IN A HOST LIQUID WITHIN THESE DROPLETS. THE FOCUS OF OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE TO OPTIMIZE VARIABLES TO MAXIMIZE HCL DETECTION SENSITIVITY. THIS WILL INCLUDE IDENTIFICATION OF THE BEST PH INDICATOR DYE/HOST LIQUID CRYSTAL MIX, THE BEST POLYMERIC SKIN AND MINIMUM SKIN THICKNESS ATTAINABLE AND THE HCL SENSITIVITY OF THE DOSIMETER BADGE DEVELOPED. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL TERMINATE WITH COMPLETION OF SAMPLE HCL DOSIMETER BADGES WHICH WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE ARMY LABS AT FORT DETRICK FOR FURTHER TESTING.