Ultra-sensitive molecular detection

The technical ability to detect low concentrations of dangerous gases in the atmosphere is central to successful environmental monitoring. For example, warehouses containing chemical storage tanks with the potential for leakage, or sites where there have been toxic chemical spills, require continuous measurement of volatile compounds. Ultra sensitive monitoring is also important for battlefield detection of chemical warfare agents and at security posts in airports and tunnels. For these applications gas sensors based on optical absorption or chromatography and spectrometry are able to satisfy the molecular sensitivity and specificity requirements. However, the drawback with these detectors is that they are large, expensive, and delicate. Alternatively, electrochemical gas sensors are robust and relatively cheap, but they lack the necessary sensitivity and selectivity below the part per million threshold. The research carried out within this project will lead to the development of a gas sensor that has high sensitivity and selectivity combined with the technological simplicity of an electrochemical gas sensor. This is achieved through the use of a network of conducting molecules. Ultimately, this work will lead to the development of a new family of light and rugged ultra-sensitive molecular detectors.

The primary commercial beneficiaries of this research are sensor manufacturers who will be able to license the technology and develop the new type of sensors for incorporation into established detector designs. An important aspect of the project will be the filing of a patent to ensure intellectual property protection for industrial collaborators or licensees. This process will be dealt with in close collaboration with ISIS Innovation, the University of Oxford technology transfer company. A company manufacturing the new sensor will be more competitive internationally, and there are a number of UK companies that could fit that mould. With the widespread use of the new highly sensitive and selective detectors there will be many societal benefits including rapid and more widespread screening of explosives at airports, tunnels, and other security checkpoints. There are also significant impacts for the military. Because the detector technology can easily be miniaturised, it will allow molecular detection devices to be incorporated into small instruments or clothing. One could conceive of a battlefield scenario in which chemical nerve agents are thought to be a danger, and where each advancing soldier is equipped with a detector integrated into their watch that will provide a warning if warfare agents are detected. The creation of such devices is simply not possible today with the current range of gas detection technologies. To ensure widespread dissemination of the results, following patent protection, the work will be published in international peer reviewed journals and presented at conferences. Industrial interest will be stimulated through the support of the Sensors and Instrumentation Knowledge Centre which is part of the ESP Knowledge Transfer Network.