Collaborative Research: Synthesis and Modeling of Novel Nanoparticle-Polymer Composite Films for Sensor Applications

该拨款为开发和研究用于化学传感的新型纳米复合材料的特征提供资金。该材料涉及将金属或半导体集成到聚合物中。这种材料具有独特的导电性能，对于开发高选择性和灵敏的气体传感器很重要。传感器材料将使用专门设计的化学气相沉积技术进行合成，该技术允许优化金属/半导体与聚合物的组合物比例。 合成的材料结构将被表征，包括化学成分和形态，并开发纳米复合材料生长的模型。将通过测量暴露于特定气体环境时的感应电导率来研究传感器性能。实验结果将用于开发和验证传感器行为和传感器选择性的综合理论，灵敏度和对各种气体环境（包括二氧化碳和氢气）的时间响应。如果成功，这项研究的结果将导致智能纳米制造和优化材料传感性能的新方法。 本研究的主要目的是建立结构-性能关系？关键材料参数（化学成分和微观结构）与传感响应之间的联系。合成，表征和建模的集成是该提案的关键组成部分，这将允许优化合成条件，以获得具有所需传感特性的材料。拟议的工作还将提供一种方法，用于生产对某些疾病特有的环境条件具有选择性的化学生物传感器。一个例子是用于检测超氧阴离子自由基（氧离子）的传感器，超氧阴离子自由基与包括癌症和心脏病在内的许多疾病有关。 这种传感器可能为早期检测和治疗此类疾病提供一种手段。

This grant provides funding to develop and study the characteristics of novel nanocomposite materials for chemical sensing. The materials involve integrating metal or semi-conductor in polymers. Such materials have exhibited unique electrical conductivity properties important for development of highly selective and sensitive gas sensors. The sensor material will be synthesized using specially-designed a chemical vapor deposition technique that permits optimization of the metal/semiconductor-to-polymer composition ratio. The synthesized material structure will be characterized including chemical composition and morphology, and a model of nanocomposite growth is developed. The sensor performance will be studied by measuring induced electrical conductivity upon exposure to specific gaseous ambience. The experimental results will be used to develop and validate a comprehensive theory of sensor behavior and sensor selectivity, sensitivity and time response to a variety of gaseous surroundings including carbon dioxide and hydrogen.If successful, the result of this research will lead to a novel method for intelligent nanomanufacturing and optimization of materials sensing properties. A primary objective of this research is to establish the structure-property relationship ? the link between the key materials parameters (chemical composition, and microstructure) and the resulting sensing responses. The integration of synthesis, characterization, and modeling is the critical component of the proposal which will allow optimization of synthesis conditions in order to obtain materials with the desired sensing properties. The proposed work will also provide a methodology for producing chemical biosensors with selectivity towards ambient conditions that are unique to certain diseases. An example is a sensor for detection of superoxide anion radicals (oxgygen ions) that have been implicated in a number of diseases including cancer and heart disease. Such a sensor could potentially provide a means for early detection and treatment of such diseases.