Chemiresistor Microsensors for In-Situ Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds: Final LDRD Report

This report provides a summary of the three-year LDRD (Laboratory Directed Research and Development) project aimed at developing microchemical sensors for continuous, in-situ monitoring of volatile organic compounds. A chemiresistor sensor array was integrated with a unique, waterproof housing that allows the sensors to be operated in a variety of media including air, soil, and water. Numerous tests were performed to evaluate and improve the sensitivity, stability, and discriminatory capabilities of the chemiresistors. Field tests were conducted in California, Nevada, and New Mexico to further test and develop the sensors in actual environments within integrated monitoring systems. The field tests addressed issues regarding data acquisition, telemetry, power requirements, data processing, and other engineering requirements. Significant advances were made in the areas of polymer optimization, packaging, data analysis, discrimination, design, and information dissemination (e.g., real-time web posting of data; see www.sandia.gov/sensor). This project has stimulated significant interest among commercial and academic institutions. A CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) was initiated in FY03 to investigate manufacturing methods, and a Work for Others contract was established between Sandia and Edwards Air Force Base for FY02-FY04. Funding was also obtained from DOE as part of their Advanced Monitoring Systems Initiative program from FY01more » to FY03, and a DOE EMSP contract was awarded jointly to Sandia and INEEL for FY04-FY06. Contracts were also established for collaborative research with Brigham Young University to further evaluate, understand, and improve the performance of the chemiresistor sensors.« less

[1]  Mark W. Jenkins,et al.  Microchemical Sensors for In-Situ Monitoring and Characterization of Volatile Contaminants , 2001 .

[2]  R. C. Hughes,et al.  In-Situ Chemiresistor Sensor Package for Real-Time Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds in Soil and Groundwater , 2002 .

[3]  Clifford K. Ho,et al.  In Situ Monitoring of Vapor Phase TCE Using a Chemiresistor Microchemical Sensor , 2003 .

[4]  Edward T. Zellers,et al.  Microfabricated preconcentrator-focuser for a microscale gas chromatograph , 2003 .

[5]  Stephen A. Casalnuovo,et al.  Integrated chemiresistor array for small sensor platforms , 2000, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[6]  A. Jenkins,et al.  Molecularly imprinted polymer sensors for pesticide and insecticide detection in water. , 2001, The Analyst.

[7]  Clay Macomber,et al.  An embedded polymer piezoresistive microcantilever sensor. , 2003, Ultramicroscopy.

[8]  Clifford K. Ho,et al.  FY02 Field Evaluations of an In-Situ Chemiresistor Sensor at Edwards Air Force Base, CA , 2002 .

[9]  R. Newnham,et al.  Electrical Resistivity of Composites , 1990 .

[10]  R. C. Hughes,et al.  Review of Chemical Sensors for In-Situ Monitoring of Volatile Contaminants , 2001 .

[11]  M. K. Alam,et al.  Characterization of the ability of polymeric chemiresistor arrays to quantitate trichloroethylene using partial least squares (PLS): effects of experimental design, humidity, and temperature , 2003 .

[12]  Ronald P. Manginell,et al.  A MEMS Based Hybrid Preconcentrator/Chemiresistor Chemical Sensor , 2000 .

[13]  K. S. Rawlinson,et al.  Field Demonstrations of Chemiresistor and Surface Acoustic Wave Microchemical Sensors at the Nevada Test Site , 2003 .

[14]  J. Pawliszyn,et al.  Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) , 1997 .

[15]  K. S. Rawlinson,et al.  Development of a Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor for In-Situ Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds , 2003 .

[16]  L. Wilson,et al.  Handbook of Vadose Zone Characterization & Monitoring , 1994 .

[17]  Bertil Sundqvist,et al.  Resistivity of a composite conducting polymer as a function of temperature, pressure, and environment: Applications as a pressure and gas concentration transducer , 1986 .