NSF Award
9660152
*** 9660152 Kaiser This project is focused on development of a new class of chemical sensors for detection of a variety of volatile organic carbon (VOC) pollutants, including chlorinated hydrocarbons. The ability to accurately and reliably achieve molecular discrimination between various VOC's will be based on a polymeric monolayer utilizing a new class of polymers called Starburstd9 dendrimers. This project will systematically examine the relationship between the dendritic structure and chemical composition of these nanoscopic-sized spheroidal polymers and their ability to differentiate between chemical molecules with a variety of functional groups. A designed series of dendritic polymers will be synthesized and will be covalently attached to a gold surface to form a self-assembled monolayer, and the suitability of the dendrimer to act as a chemically sensitive interface will be determined by challenging dendrimer-modified surface acoustic wave (SAW) mass balances with vapor-phase probe molecules. This will facilitate development of new sensor technology by elucidation of molecular mechanisms and response optimization. This technology could permit development of reliable, application-specific detectors in areas such as: health and safety monitoring, environmental remediation, industrial process control and auto emissions. ***
