TITLE:
Fluorescent-Dye Doped Thin-Film Sensors for the Detection of Alcohol Vapors
AUTHORS:
Jonathan K. Fong, Royce N. Dansby-Sparks, Adam C. Lamb, Thomas W. Owen, Mohammad Mushfiq, Uma Sampathkumaran, Kisholoy Goswami, Scott L. Jensen, Zi-Ling Xue
KEYWORDS:
Optical Thin Film Sensors, Chromoionophore IX Dye, Alcohol Vapor Detection
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.5 No.9,
June
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: Fluorescence sensors based on a trifluoroacetophone compound doped in ethyl cellulose (EC) thin films have been developed for the detection of methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol (isopropanol, PriOH) vapors. Thin-film sensors are prepared with 4-dibutylamino-4’-(trifluoroacetyl)stilbene (Chromoionophore IX or CIX) as the fluorescent dye and its solution in EC was spin-coated onto glass slides. The luminescence intensity of the dye (555 nm) is quenched when exposed to alcohol vapor. Tested in the range of ca. 0 - 1.5× 104 ppm (wt) for MeOH and EtOH, and ca. 0 - 2.3 × 104 ppm for PriOH, the sensors gave detection limits of 9, 13, 21 ppm and quantification limits of 32, 43, and 70 ppm, respectively. To enhance the sensitivity of the sensors, TiO2 particles have been added to the films to induce Mie scattering, which increases the incident light interaction with the sensing films. The sensors in this work have been designed to work in a multianalyte platform for the simultaneous detection of multiple gas analytes.