Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2017 (3) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Sprache
- Englisch (3)
Referierte Publikation
- nein (3)
Schlagworte
- Fluorescence (3) (entfernen)
Because ammonia and its reaction products can cause considerable damage to human health and ecosystems, there is a need for reliably operating and reversibly interacting sensor materials to monitor traces of gaseous ammonia in ambient air, which at best can be used on-site for in-the-field measurements. Herein, the development of a sensor material for gaseous ammonia in the lower ppm to ppb range using optical fluorescence as transduction mechanism is presented. A fluorescent dye, which shows reversible fluorescence enhancement in the presence of ammonia is incorporated into a polymer matrix, the latter to ensure the accumulation of ammonia. The sensor material is integrated into a prototype of a miniaturized sensor device, facilitating long-term operation. To calibrate the optical sensor system a gas standard generator, producing standard gas mixtures, is used, leading to a sensitivity down to lower ppm concentrations of ammonia.
Ammonia and its reaction products can cause considerable damage of human health and ecosystems, increasing the necessity for reliable and reversible sensors to monitor traces of gaseous ammonia in ambient air directly on-site or in the field. Although various types of gas sensors are available, fluorescence sensors have gained importance due to advantages such as high sensitivity and facile miniaturization.
Here, we present the development of a sensor material for the detection of gaseous ammonia in the lower ppm to ppb range by incorporation of a fluorescent dye, which shows reversible fluorescence modulations as a function of analyte concentration, into a polymer matrix to ensure the accumulation of ammonia. A gas standard generator producing standard gas mixtures, which comply with the metrological traceability in the desired environmentally relevant measurement range, was used to calibrate the optical sensor system. To integrate the sensor material into a mobile device, a prototype of a hand-held instrument was developed, enabling straightforward data acquisition over a long period.
Fluorescence based sensing is a versatile approach for the trace analysis outside of the laboratory, requiring suitable sensor materials and their integration into sensing devices. The versatility of fluorophores as probes, especially in terms of the possibility to tailor their optical as well as their recognition properties by synthetic modifications in a wide range, renders them a superior active component for the preparation of optical sensor devices. Recent works at BAM in this field include, for example, the detection of nerve gas agents, illustrating impressively the aforementioned benefits of fluorophores in optical sensing applications.
In the interdisciplinary approach presented here, we target hazardous gases such as ammonia, benzene, and hydrogen sulfide, next to others, which pose a major threat to human health and environmental safety and for which the availability of a sensitive and reliable detection method is highly desirable.
The dyes presented follow a “turn-on” fluorescence schematic which allows for the selective and sensitive detection of the respective gaseous analyte. The immobilization of the probe in polymeric matrices is then the next step toward the fabrication of a prototype device for molecular sensing.