Airborne contaminant sensor device and method for using the same

• US 9,429,536 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmounth College (Dartmouth College)
• Original Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmounth College (Dartmouth College)
• Inventors: BelBruno, Joseph J., Tanski, Susanne E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Menon, Krishnan S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerido, Dwan A
• Application Number:
  US13/495,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20130040399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 436/149, 422/88, 422/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/126 comprising organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0073 Control unit therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/10 in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern

Abstract

The present invention is a nanotechnology-based personal sensor device composed of molecularly imprinted polymers that are interrogated using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for use in simultaneously monitoring airborne contaminants, e.g., of second-hand cigarette smoke.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring exposure to airborne contaminants of tobacco smoke, comprising:

a conductive polyaniline bulk film molecularly imprinted with an airborne contaminant of tobacco smoke, the conductive polyaniline bulk film having resistance sensitive to binding of the airborne contaminant thereto and being fully protonated prior to said binding; and

a sensor having interdigitated electrodes, located on a surface of the conductive polyaniline bulk film for passing current through the conductive polyaniline bulk film to measure the resistance only of the conductive polyaniline bulk film.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the airborne contaminant is nicotine.

3. The device of claim 1, the conductive polyaniline bulk film being formed by at least (a) dissolving conductive polyaniline bulk in a protonating agent to produce a partially protonated, conductive polyaniline bulk solution, (b) depositing the partially protonated, conductive polyaniline bulk solution on a substrate to form the conductive polyaniline bulk film with partial protonation, and (c) doping the conductive polyaniline bulk film with a secondary dopant to fully protonate the conductive polyaniline bulk film.

4. The device of claim 3, the protonating agent being at least 98% pure.

5. The device of claim 4, the protonating agent being formic acid.

6. The device of claim 3, the secondary dopant being HCl.

7. A device for monitoring exposure to an airborne contaminant of tobacco smoke in an air sample, comprising:

a conductive polyaniline bulk film having resistance sensitive to binding of the airborne contaminant of tobacco smoke thereto and being fully protonated prior to said binding; and

interdigitated electrodes, located on a surface of the conductive polyaniline bulk film, for passing current through the conductive polyaniline bulk film such that resistance only of the conductive polyaniline bulk film is measurable using the interdigitated electrodes.

8. The device of claim 7, the conductive polyaniline bulk film being molecularly imprinted with the airborne contaminant.

9. The device of claim 7, the airborne contaminant being nicotine.

10. The device of claim 7, the conductive polyaniline bulk film being formed by at least (a) dissolving a conductive polyaniline bulk in a protonating agent to produce a partially protonated, conductive polyaniline bulk solution, (b) depositing the partially protonated, conductive polyaniline bulk solution on a substrate to form the conductive polyaniline bulk film with partial protonation, and (c) doping the conductive polyaniline bulk film with a secondary dopant to fully protonate the conductive polyaniline bulk film.

11. The device of claim 10, the protonating agent being at least 98% pure.

12. The device of claim 11, the protonating agent being formic acid.

13. The device of claim 10, the secondary dopant being HCl.

14. A device for monitoring exposure to an airborne contaminant of tobacco smoke in an air sample, comprising:

a conductive polyaniline bulk film having resistance sensitive to binding of the airborne contaminant of tobacco smoke thereto when being exposed to the air sample; and

two interdigitated electrodes, separated apart by approximately 20 microns and located on a surface of the conductive polyaniline bulk film, for passing current through the conductive polyaniline bulk film such that resistance only of the conductive polyaniline bulk film is measurable using the two interdigitated electrodes.

15. The device of claim 14, the conductive polyaniline bulk film having thickness of approximately 100 nanometers.

16. The device of claim 14, the conductive polyaniline bulk film being a conductive bulk polyaniline film.

17. The device of claim 16, the conductive polyaniline bulk film being protonated.