Sensors & Electronics
Awards & Recognition
R&D 100 Awards
2004 - BSP3 Polymer
Developers: Jay W. Grate (PNNL), Steven N. Kaganove
(Michigan Molecular Institute), David A. Nelson (PNNL)
Contact: Jay Grate
A novel carbosiloxane polymer has been developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) that can be used in chemical detector systems to detect airborne chemical agents such as nerve agents that might be used in a terrorist attack. The patented polymer (“BSP3”) has been licensed to BAE Systems, which is developing the ChemSentryTM 150C chemical vapor detector system. The polymer coats the surface of a sensor chip in the chemical detector and absorbs vapor molecules from the air so the sensor can detect them. Chemical detectors can be used as counter terrorism devices to monitor the safety of air in buildings and subways and to protect first responders at terrorist incidents or chemical accidents. Compared it to its predecessor polymer, fluoropolyol, BSP3 made sensors four times more sensitive to nerve agents. In surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor array systems using a preconcentrator, the BSP3 polymer enabled faster detection to lower concentrations than was previously possible.
Polymers applied to the surfaces of SAW sensors determine their sensitivity and selectivity by collecting and concentrating vapor molecules from the gas phase onto the sensor surface by reversible sorption. The BSP3 polymer has been designed and synthesized especially for sensors in array-based chemical detectors. Each sensor in a sensor array system has a different coating, so the collective responses of the array provide a characteristic pattern, or “fingerprint” to a given analyte vapor. When chemical vapors are detected, the pattern of responses from the array is used to recognize and distinguish one chemical compound from another. Compared to other sensing polymers, BSP3 has an exceptionally strong capability to absorb toxic organophosphorus compounds such as nerve agents, leading to high sensitivity and distinctive array patterns. BSP3 is superior for use in nerve agent sensing because it has both the necessary chemical interaction properties and the desired physical properties to provide rapid and sensitive chemical sensor responses. When used in arrays designed for other applications such as environmental monitoring, industrial hygiene, and process control, BSP3 increases the chemical diversity of coatings and thereby improves the sensor’s capability to distinguish one compound from another.
Excerpted from PNNL R&D 100 webpage.
Selected Links to Related Information:
- Related Examples (Same Project)
