Detecting compounds in airborne particles using ion exchange
Inventors
Zang, Ling • Johnson, Jayc • Slattum, Paul • Bunes, Benjamin Ross • Later, Douglas Wayne
Assignees
University of Utah • University of Utah Research Foundation Inc • Gentex Corp Carbondale
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Publication Number
US-12631586-B2
Publication Date
2026-05-19
Expiration Date
Abstract
A sensor to detect solid particles of a target salt can include a support substrate, an adsorption layer, a sensing layer oriented between the support substrate and the adsorption layer, and an electrode pair in contact with the sensing layer and separated by the sensing layer. The adsorption layer can include an ion exchange medium formed of a first porous structured material functionalized with basic or acidic functional groups. The basic or acidic functional groups can remove an acid or base component from the target salt to form a free base or free acid, respectively, of the target salt. The sensing layer can include a second porous structured material functionalized to detect the free base or acid of the target salt by a change in conductivity.
Core Innovation
A sensor is described for detecting solid particles of a target compound. The sensor includes a support substrate, an adsorption layer, a sensing layer oriented between the support substrate and the adsorption layer, and an electrode pair in contact with the sensing layer and separated by the sensing layer. The adsorption layer uses a medium formed of a first porous structured material functionalized with basic functional groups.
The target compound is a salt or a free base compound. In the case of a salt, the basic functional groups convert the salt into a converted free base. The first porous structured material is a network of first organic nanofibers assembled from stacked molecules selected from 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic diimide, 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, perylene 3,4,10-tetracarboxyl-3,4-anhydride-9,10-imide, an indolocarbazole derivative, and an oligomer made up of 3 to 9 carbazole derivative monomers.
The sensing layer comprises a second porous structured material functionalized to detect the converted free base or the free base compound by a change in conductivity. The first porous structured material comprises a different material than the second porous structured material. The sensor includes an electrode pair in contact with the sensing layer and separated by the sensing layer.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim is directed to a solid-particle sensor based on salt-to-free-base conversion in a basic-functionalized porous adsorption layer, followed by conductivity-based detection in a different functionalized porous sensing layer using an electrode pair. Four inventive features are identified.
Salt-to-free-base conversion using a basic-functionalized porous adsorption layer
A sensor to detect solid particles of a target compound includes an adsorption layer comprising a medium formed of a first porous structured material functionalized with basic functional groups, wherein the target compound is a salt or a free base compound, and wherein the salt is converted by the basic functional groups to form a converted free base of the salt.
Conductivity detection using a different porous sensing layer functionalized to detect the converted free base
A sensing layer oriented between the support substrate and the adsorption layer comprises a second porous structured material functionalized to detect the converted free base or the free base compound by a change in conductivity, wherein the first porous structured material comprises a different material than the second porous structured material.
Organic nanofiber adsorption layer formed from stacked-molecule assemblies
The first porous structured material is a network of first organic nanofibers assembled from stacked molecules selected from 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic diimide, 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, perylene 3,4,10-tetracarboxyl-3,4-anhydride-9,10-imide, an indolocarbazole derivative, and an oligomer made up of 3 to 9 carbazole derivative monomers, wherein at least a portion of the stacked molecules are further functionalized with the basic functional groups.
Electrode pair separated by the sensing layer
The sensor includes an electrode pair in contact with the sensing layer and separated by the sensing layer.
The claim set focuses on converting a target salt into a free base using a basic-functionalized porous adsorption layer formed from specified organic nanofiber stacked-molecule networks, and then detecting the converted free base or free base compound via a conductivity change in a different functionalized porous sensing layer with an electrode pair.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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