Continuous Monitoring of Dissolved Oxygen in Spacecraft Water Recycling Systems

This proposed program will be directed towards the development of a fiber optic sensor for monitoring dissolved O2. Chemical transducers will be Co macrocycle complexes which are known to reversibly bind O2 with concomitant changes in the absorption spectrum. These changes will be detected via an optical fiber. Co macrocycle complexes will be incorporated into O2 permeable polymeric matrices to both enhance stability and facilitate their immobilization onto the fiber optic. This will allow for remote sensing of dissolved O2., and in combination with optical time domain reflectometry techniques, will permit multisite monitoring to be feasible. The final product will be an innovative detector for dissolved O2.