Passive Sensor Materials Based on Liquid Crystals
Abstract
Research supported by this grant entitled "Passive Sensor Materials Based on Liquid Crystals" revolved around an investigation of liquid crystalline materials for use in passive sensors for chemical agents, including sulfur and phosphorus-containing compounds. The research was founded on the discovery in the Abbott research group at University of Wisconsin that competitive molecular interactions between metal ion receptors, liquid crystals and targeted analytes can lead to easily visualized and quantified changes in the orientations of films of liquid crystals. These changes in optical appearance of the liquid crystal offer the basis of a new approach for measurement and monitoring of exposure to specific and non-specific chemical environments. Selective detection of simulants of G agents and mustard gas in the part-per-billion concentration (in vapor) on time scales of tens of seconds was demonstrated. Tolerance to potentially interfering compounds (e.g., water) at concentrations 100,000 times higher than the targeted simulants was also shown. Research described in this report focused on the translation of these past findings into the design of nanostructured liquid crystalline materials that exhibited the sensitivity and specificity demonstrated in past studies with the added benefits of (i) mechanical robustness and (ii) processability such that a range of potential DoD applications are enabled.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 12, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA544761
Entities
People
- Nicholas L Abbott
Organizations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison