Development of New Generation Gas and Vapor Sensors Using Organic Electronics

描述（由申请人提供）：由于缺乏简单、廉价和高通量的接触评估技术，限制了公共卫生专业人员发现疾病的环境和职业原因以及进行控制工作场所风险所需的接触评估的能力。包括NIOSH和国家环境健康科学研究所（NIEHS）在内的许多团体都广泛认识到需要开发和应用新技术来进行接触评估。纳米技术和材料科学的进步为开发基于有机电子电路的新型空气采样传感器技术提供了独特的机会。场效应晶体管是电子电路的基本构建模块，而有机场效应晶体管（OFFET）是用有机半导体（OSC）制成的晶体管。OSC易受非共价相互作用、捕获和掺杂、光激发、尺寸变形和其他温和转变的影响。这些转换改变半导体的电子输入-输出特性，并且输入-输出特性的这些变化可以用于检测和量化引起这些电子修改的化学和物理刺激。因此，OSCs是构建各种类型传感器的有前途的新平台。本研究的长期目标是利用有机材料技术开发廉价、紧凑、灵敏和可靠的气体/蒸汽传感器。在本申请中，作为概念验证，我们建议开发一种传感器，该传感器将能够检测各种职业和环境应用的低浓度氨。我们将使用一种新的基于OFET的技术来开发这些传感器。这些电路作为环境传感器具有很大的前景，因为它们可以由各种材料制成，这些材料与环境因子具有特定的化学相互作用。迄今为止，该技术尚未应用于空气采样传感器的开发。虽然我们最初计划展示这项技术检测氨的能力，但这项技术的新奇可能会扩展到任何气相或液相检测方案。为了实现我们的目标，我们提出了4个具体目标：在具体目标1中，我们将研究一系列有机材料，可以纳入OFET传感器的氨响应。我们将选择最佳材料并开发印刷电路传感器以进行进一步测试。在具体目标2中，我们将目标1中开发的多种敏感OFFEs整合到高阶电路中，以实现协同响应，从而潜在地增加对氨的敏感性和特异性，并最终增加对其他含氮化合物（例如芳香胺、尼古丁）的敏感性和特异性。在具体目标3中，我们将使用小型实验室规模仪器对目标1和2中开发的OFET采样器进行实验室测试，具体目标4将包括采样器的现场验证。如果成功，这一探索性研究项目将导致基于OFET的技术首次应用于空气采样。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The lack of simple, inexpensive and high throughput exposure assessment technologies has limited the ability of public health professionals to discover environmental and occupational causes of disease, and to conduct exposure assessments needed to control workplace risks. The need for the development and application of new technology to conduct exposure assessments is widely recognized by many groups including NIOSH and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Advances in nanotechnology and materials sciences offer unique opportunities for the development of new air sampling sensor technologies based on organic electronic circuits. Field-effect transistors are the basic building blocks for electronic circuits, and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are those made with organic semiconductors (OSCs). OSCs are susceptible to non-covalent interactions, trapping and doping, photoexcitation, dimensional deformation, and other mild transformations. These transformations alter the electronic input- output characteristics of the semiconductors and these changes in input-output characteristics can be used to detect and quantify the chemical and physical stimuli that cause these electronic modifications. Thus, OSCs are a promising new platform for the construction of various types of sensors. The long-term goal of this research is to develop inexpensive, compact, sensitive and reliable gas/vapor sensors using organic materials technology. In this application, as a proof of concept, we propose to develop a sensor that will be able to detect low concentrations of ammonia for a variety of occupational and environmental applications. We will use a novel OFET-based technology to develop these sensors. These circuits have great promise for use as environmental sensors because they can be made from a variety of materials with specific chemical interactions with environmental agents. To-date this technology has not been applied to the development of air sampling sensors. While we initially plan to demonstrate this technology's ability to sense ammonia, the novelty of the technology could potentially extend to any gas-phase or solution-phase sensing scheme. To accomplish our goal, we propose 4 specific aims: In Specific Aim 1 we will investigate a range of organic materials that can be incorporated into OFET sensors for their response to ammonia. We will select the optimal materials and develop the printed circuit sensors for further testing. In Specific Aim 2 we will integrate multiple sensitive OFETs developed in Aim 1 into higher order circuits for synergistic responses, potentially increasing sensitivity and specificity to ammonia, and ultimately other nitrogen containing compounds (e.g. aromatic amines, nicotine). In Specific Aim 3 we will conduct laboratory testing of the OFET samplers developed in Aims 1 and 2 using a small bench scale apparatus and Specific Aim 4 will consist of a field validation of the samplers. If successful, this exploratory research project will result in the first application of OFET-based technology to air sampling.