Polythiophene/carbon nanotube chemiresistors as high-performance chemical sensors

COLL 4

Fei Wang, feiwang@mit.edu1, Yong Yang, yyang@mit.edu2, and Timothy M. Swager, tswager@MIT.EDU2. (1) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 18-143, Cambridge, MA 02139, (2) Department of Chemistry and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT NE47-491, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139
We have developed chemical sensors using substituted polythiophene and carbon nanotube hybrid systems. These sensors, based on resistor architectures, have promising characteristics such as high sensitivity, selectivity and precision. Detailed molecular design and synthesis will be discussed. A variety of analytes such as organophosphonates and aromatic isomers have been examined. Possible sensing mechanisms, including charge transfer, configurational change and Schottky barrier change, have been explored. In addition, the ease of fabrication (processed from a solution) and low-power consumption property (nature of resistor) will together make these sensors appealing candidates for fieldable detectors for monitoring security and manufacturing environments.

 

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for Chemical and Biological Defense
9:00 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- 151B, Oral

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007