Synthesis and Thin Film Assembly of Copper Nanoparticles for Sensing Contaminants in Aircraft Cabins; Final technical rept. 11 Apr 2007-31 Mar 2008

摘要

Nanoparticle-structured thin films with tunable electronic properties provide an advanced solution for the design of chemical sensing materials. The exploitation of such sensing nanomaterials for chemical sensors in monitoring aircraft cabin contaminants requires the ability to fine tune the nanostructure in terms of size, shape, composition, spacing, functionality, and stability. This report describes the findings of an investigation that developed a method to synthesize cooper nanoparticles of controlled size and surface properties and a process to assemble the nanoparticles into chemiresistive sensing thin films. The approach involved the manipulation of temperature in the synthesis of monolayer-capped copper nanoparticles and the interparticle binding chemistry for a controlled thin film assembly. The chemiresistive sensing properties of the nanostructured thin films were demonstrated in response to a volatile organic compound (benzene) and a toxic gas (carbon monoxide). These findings constitute the basis for the synthesis and assembly of a variety of copper nanoparticle-based advanced sensing materials.