Polymerization thin film sensor fabrication

Sivaraman R,Clarson SJ,Burcham K,Naghski D,Boyd JT (1999) Fabrication and characterization of electro-optic polymeric E-field sensors. In Organic thin films for photonics applications. Optical Society of America, Washington DC, p 60... 

A new Pt(II) polyyne polymer, P15, prepared from the reaction of cfs-[Pt(PPh3)2Cl2] with l,4-diethynyl-2,5-dihexadecyloxybenzene using the extended one pot polymerization route, was tested for its sensing properties and showed fast and reproducible response to relative humidity variations and methanol vapor in surface acoustic-wave (SAW) sensors.46 A SAW sensor was fabricated from polymer P15 as a sensitive membrane, and the polymer was deposited as thin film on the surface of SAW delay lines implemented on three different piezoelectric substrates. High sensitivity and reproducibility were recorded for such devices. The acoustic characterization of the polymer film was also studied with the aid of theoretical results obtained by the perturbation theory. 

Over the last decades, there have been a lot of efforts to fabricate polymer thin film. However, it is difficult to obtain a conducting polymer in thin film or monolayer owing to lack of processabihty and solubility. Among the conducting polymers, PANI thin film has a great potential to apply for chemical sensor due to its sensing ability and conductivity. Similar to PPy, there have been several methods to fabricate PANI thin film LB technique, self-assembly, electropolymerization, evaporation, and plasma-mediated polymerization. 

Elsewhere, Tai et al. used PANI/Ti02 nanocomposites prepared by in-situ chemical oxidation polymerization synthesis in the presence of T1O2 nanoparticles to fabricate a gas sensor [317]. The responses of the PANI/T1O2 nanocomposite thin film to toxic NH3 and CO gas were investigated. It was found that the response, reproducibility, and stability of nanocomposite thin film to NH3 were superior those for CO gas. The gas-sensing properties of the PANI/T1O2 thin film to NH3 and CO indicated that the PANI/Ti02 thin film was an excellent candidate for NH3 detection, but not for the fabrication of a CO gas sensor [317]. 

Bioimmobilizates need to be fabricated in different forms to satisfy the diverse requirements of the catalyst and sensor markets—thin/thick films, printed/molded coatings, foams, glasses, and polymeric composites are now required in addition to monoliths and particulates. 

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