Patent
Method and apparatus for sensing nitroaromatics
| العنوان: | Method and apparatus for sensing nitroaromatics |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 7,214,543 |
| تاريخ النشر: | May 08, 2007 |
| Appl. No: | 10/271671 |
| Application Filed: | October 15, 2002 |
| مستخلص: | The subject invention pertains to a method and apparatus for sensing nitroaromatics. The subject invention can utilize luminescent, for example fluorescent and/or electroluminescent, aryl substituted polyacetylenes and/or other substituted polyacetylenes which are luminescent for sensing nitroaromatics. In a specific embodiment, the subject invention can utilize thin films of fluorescent and/or electroluminescent aryl substituted polyacetylenes and/or other substituted polyacetylenes which are fluorescent and/or electroluminescent. In a specific embodiment, the fluorescence from thin films of fluorescent, substituted polyacetylene, such as—poly-[1-phenyl-2-(4-trimethylsilylphenyl)ethyne] (PTMSDPA) is strongly quenched by the vapors of a variety of nitroaromatic compounds present at levels ranging from parts-per-million to parts-per-billion in air. |
| Inventors: | Schanze, Kirk S. (Gainesville, FL, US); Boncella, James M. (Gainesville, FL, US) |
| Assignees: | University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. (Gainesville, FL, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A method of detecting the presence of a nitroaromatic, comprising the steps of: (a) exposing a luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to a volume of a gaseous fluid; (b) monitoring the amount of luminescence emitted from the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene, and (c) monitoring a level of luminescence emitted from the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to determine the presence of a nitroaromatic in the volume of gaseous fluid. |
| Claim: | 2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is fluorescent. |
| Claim: | 3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-and substituted polyacetylene is electroluminescent. |
| Claim: | 4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a fractional free volume of said bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is 0.26. |
| Claim: | 5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said monitoring step comprises a user visually monitoring the amount of luminescence emitted from the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene. |
| Claim: | 6. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising the steps of: exposing the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to excitation illumination of a wavelength which causes fluorescence from the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene, wherein said monitoring step comprises monitoring the amount of fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene. |
| Claim: | 7. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: exposing the electroluminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to an electric field which causes electroluminescence from the electroluminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene, wherein said monitoring step comprises monitoring the amount of electroluminescence emitted from the electroluminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene. |
| Claim: | 8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene comprises poly-[1-phenyl-2-(4-trimethylsilylphenyl)ethyne]. |
| Claim: | 9. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene comprises polyacetylene comprises poly-[1-phenyl-2-(4-trimethylsilylphenyl)ethyne]. |
| Claim: | 10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nitroaromatic is in the vapor-phase. |
| Claim: | 11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nitroaromatic is selected from the group consisting of 1,4-dinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 2,6-dinitroluene, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 4-nitrotoluene, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. |
| Claim: | 12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is a polymer film. |
| Claim: | 13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the polymer film is less than 1 micron thick. |
| Claim: | 14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the polymer film is less than 100 nanometers thick. |
| Claim: | 15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the thickness of the polymer film is within the range of 3 nanometers to 80 nanometers. |
| Claim: | 16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer film is less than 10 nanometers thick. |
| Claim: | 17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is an active material in a device which produces an electrical signal, wherein said monitoring step comprises monitoring the electrical signal. |
| Claim: | 18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is in a physical form selected from the group consisting of particles and fibers. |
| Claim: | 19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the mean diameter of the particles is less than 100 nm. |
| Claim: | 20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the mean diameter of the fibers is less than 100 nm. |
| Claim: | 21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said monitoring step comprises monitoring the amount of luminescence emitted from the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene with a monitoring means selected from the group consisting of an eye, a photomultiplier, a solid state detector and a charge-couple device (CCD). |
| Claim: | 22. The method according to claim 6 , wherein exposing the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to excitation illumination comprises exposing the fluorescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene to excitation illumination with an illumination means selected from the group consisting of a laser and an LED. |
| Claim: | 23. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is substituted with an aromatic moiety. |
| Claim: | 24. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is substituted with a heteroaromatic moiety. |
| Claim: | 25. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is substituted with a chemical group that contains an aromatic moiety. |
| Claim: | 26. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent bis-aryl substituted polyacetylene is substituted with a chemical group that contains a heteroaromatic moiety. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 436/172 |
| Patent References Cited: | 4334880 June 1982 Malmros 5156810 October 1992 Ribi 5247190 September 1993 Friend et al. 5622872 April 1997 Ribi 6025462 February 2000 Wang et al. 6251690 June 2001 Kulmala et al. 6331438 December 2001 Aylott et al. 6589731 July 2003 Chen et al. 6680206 January 2004 McDevitt et al. WO 99/57222 November 1999 WO 00/66790 November 2000 |
| Other References: | Tsuchihara, et al. “Tractable Silicon-Containing Poly(diphenylacelylenes): Their Synthesis and High Gas Permeability” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, pp. 8548-8549. cited by other Tsuchihara, et al. “Polymerization of Silicon-Containing Diphyenylacetylenes and High Gas Permeability of the Product Polymers” Macromolecules, 1992, 25, pp. 5816-5820. cited by other Teraguchi, et al. “Polymerization of Diphenylacelylenes Having Very Bulky Silyl Groups and Polymer Properties” J. Polym. Sci A: Polym. Chem. 36, 1998, pp. 2721-2725. cited by other Yang, et al. “Fluorescent Porous Polymer Films as TNT Chemosensors: Electronic and Structural Effects” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, pp. 11864-11873; and. cited by other Grone, et al. “Detection of Landmines by Amplified Fluorescence Quenching of Polymer Films: A Man-Portable Chemical Sniffer for Detection of Ultra-Trace Concentrations of Explosives Emanating from Landmines” Nomadics, Inc., 1730 Cimarron Plaza, Stillwater, OK 74075, pp. 1-10. cited by other Miao, et al., “Fluorescence Sensory Polymers Containing Rigid Non-planar Aromatic Scaffolds,” Papers Presented at the American Chemical Society, 39:1081-1082, 1998. cited by other Liu et al., “Fluorescent Polyacetylene Thin Film Sensor for Nitroaromatics,” The American Chemical Society, 17:7452-7455, 2001. cited by other |
| Assistant Examiner: | Handy, Dwayne K. |
| Primary Examiner: | Warden, Jill |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Akerman Senterfitt |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.07214543 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |