Stabilization and Circuit Strategies for Enhanced Vapor Sensing with Polymer Semiconductors

非技术：气相化合物的传感对于监测工业过程、探测军事和安全威胁、确保空气质量以及最近的辅助医疗诊断至关重要。小型、不显眼、低成本的传感器可以部署在整个区域或建筑物中，并集成到可穿戴电子设备中。有机半导体（OSCs）在蒸汽传感器中很有吸引力，因为它们可以集成到简单的器件中，如电阻或晶体管，并且与机械柔性衬底和低成本制造工艺兼容。通过调整OSCs的化学性质，可以优化其对目标气体的响应，并控制传感器的电子响应。基于osc的传感器的一个主要缺点是由于环境影响（如温度和湿度）或响应非目标气体（干扰），输出电流或电压随时间漂移的趋势。该项目将使用化学稳定的OSCs，并将其用于电路布局，以最大限度地减少干扰和环境影响的影响。将材料合成与器件制造以及器件和电路的仿真相结合，将取得进展。将开发既保持灵敏度又尽量减少环境漂移的电路；这些电路的阵列将提供更高的选择性。该项目将包括多项外联工作。计算机建模的机会将提供给本科生和高中生，他们来自服务不足的阿巴拉契亚地区，由弗罗斯特堡州立大学锚定。将在弗罗斯特堡州立大学开设相关课程，并为高中生举办夏令营。约翰霍普金斯大学将从当地一所高中招募高中实习生，该高中服务于一个代表性不足的社区。技术：气相化合物的传感对于监测工业过程、检测军事和安全威胁、确保空气质量以及最近作为医疗诊断工具至关重要。最小、侵入性最小、成本最低的选择可用于在整个建筑物或地理区域广泛部署，或集成到可穿戴电子设备中。有机半导体（OSCs），包括分子和聚合物，对于蒸汽传感器具有多种优势，因为它们与简单的传感电路、机械柔性衬底和低成本制造工艺兼容。他们也很好地理解化学可调性和与气态分析物的相互作用，以优化设计和控制对分析物的电子响应。它们可以被集成到简单的电阻器件中，或用于逻辑电路级联的有机场效应晶体管中。基于osc的传感器的一个主要缺点是输出电流或电压随时间漂移的趋势，这与它们对干扰和环境扰动（如湿度和温度变化）的响应有关。本提案将展示使用具有更大化学稳定性的OSCs并将其用于电路布局以最大限度地减少干扰的影响并使对分析物的响应更加明显所获得的优势。在材料和器件制造以及器件和电路的模拟方面的共同努力将取得进展。组合材料对分析物的敏感性和对环境影响的稳定性将得到优化。电路将被开发，以保持分析信号，同时尽量减少环境漂移。这些电路的阵列将提供更高的选择性。这项工作将为在商业技术中采用基于osc的传感器的性能要求提供一个有利的解决方案。电子设备模拟的机会将提供给本科生和高中生，他们来自服务不足的阿巴拉契亚地区，由弗罗斯特堡州立大学锚定。本科学生将学习半导体器件物理，发展计算机编程技能，并学习现代器件仿真软件。约翰霍普金斯大学将从巴尔的摩市以女性少数族裔为主的西部高中招收高中实习生。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-technical: Sensing of gas-phase compounds is essential for monitoring industrial processes, detecting military and security threats, ensuring air quality, and, most recently, aids medical diagnosis. Small, unobtrusive, and low-cost sensors can be deployed throughout an area or a building and incorporated into wearable electronics. Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are attractive for use in vapor sensors as they can be incorporated into simple devices such as resistors or transistors and are compatible with mechanically flexible substrates and low-cost fabrication processes. The chemical properties of OSCs can be tuned to optimize the response to target gases and control the electronic responses of sensors. One major drawback of OSC-based sensors is the tendency of the output current or voltage to drift over time due to environmental effects such as temperature and humidity or in response to non-target gases (interferents). This project will use chemically stable OSCs and employ them in circuit layouts that minimize the influence of interferents and environmental effects. Progress will be made by combining material synthesis with device fabrication and simulation of devices and circuits. Circuits will be developed that preserve sensitivity while minimizing environmental drift; arrays of these circuits will provide increased selectivity. The project will include multiple outreach efforts. Computer modeling opportunities will be offered to undergraduate and high school students from the underserved Appalachian region anchored by Frostburg State University. A related class will be developed and a summer camp for high school students will be held at Frostburg State University. High school interns will be recruited to Johns Hopkins University from a local high school that serves an underrepresented community. Technical: Sensing of gas-phase compounds is essential for monitoring industrial processes, detecting military and security threats, ensuring air quality, and most recently as a tool in medical diagnosis. The smallest, least intrusive, and lowest cost options can be used for widespread deployment throughout a building or geographic zone or incorporated into wearable electronics. Organic semiconductors (OSCs), including molecules and polymers, have multiple advantages for vapor sensors, as they are compatible with simple sensing circuitry, mechanically flexible substrates, and low-cost fabrication processes. They also have well understood chemical tunability and interactions with gaseous analytes for optimal design and control of the electronic responses to the analytes. They may be incorporated into simple resistive devices, or organic field-effect transistors for cascading in logic circuits. One major drawback of OSC-based sensors is the tendency of the output current or voltage to drift over time, related to their responsiveness to interferents and environmental perturbations, such as humidity and temperature change. This proposal will demonstrate the advantages to be gained by using OSCs with greater chemical stability and employing them in circuit layouts that minimize the influence of interferents and make the responses to analytes more pronounced. Progress will be made by combined efforts in material and device fabrication and in simulation of devices and circuits. The combined material sensitivity to analytes and stability against environmental influences will be optimized. Circuits will be developed that preserve analyte signaling while minimizing the environmental drift. Arrays of these circuits will provide increased selectivity. This work will provide an enabling solution to performance requirements for the adoption of OSC-based sensors in commercial technologies. Electronic device simulation opportunities will be offered to undergraduate and high school students from the underserved Appalachian region anchored by Frostburg State University. Undergraduate students will learn semiconductor device physics, develop computer programming skills, and learn modern device simulation software. High school interns will be recruited to Johns Hopkins University from predominantly female-minority Western High School in Baltimore City.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.