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

这项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性提供资金。这些材料包括在聚合物中集成金属或半导体。这种材料表现出独特的导电性，这对开发高选择性和敏感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合成，该技术可以优化金属/半导体与聚合物的组成比。对合成的材料结构进行了表征，包括化学成分和形貌，并建立了纳米复合材料的生长模型。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的性能。实验结果将用于开发和验证传感器行为和传感器选择性，灵敏度和对各种气体环境（包括二氧化碳和氢气）的时间响应的综合理论。如果成功，该研究结果将为智能纳米制造和材料传感性能优化提供一种新的方法。本研究的主要目的是建立结构-性质关系。关键材料参数（化学成分和微观结构）与由此产生的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，它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与包括癌症和心脏病在内的许多疾病有关的超氧阴离子自由基（氧离子）的传感器。这种传感器有可能为早期发现和治疗这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.