Name:

Mr. Dylan Orpen    

Contact details

Qualifications

Project Summary

Optimisation of Colorimetric Coatings being utilized in Low Cost LED Chemical Sensors

Funding: Science Foundation Ireland   -  07/CE/I1147   -   “CLARITY: Bringing Information to Life- CSET (RP1-2)”

This project is concerned with the colorimetric coating being utilised in development of LED based optical chemical sensors. A number of recent research projects have exploited the potential of this low cost format of chemical sensors, e.g. the tracking of chemical plumes, using a deployed wireless chemical sensor network. Results have shown that collective data from sensors can be used to detect and track dispersal patterns of moving contaminant plumes. This research project focuses on improving the production of LED based sensors through investigation of the polymer coating methods being employed and ensuring reproducibility in the thickness of generated polymer layers. A test bed has been designed and fabricated (Fig 1) to examine different polymer coating configurations and sensor parameters. In the project an emphasis will be placed on using inkjet printing of coatings as an alternative to the drop casting method used previously. The research will lead to a greater level of uniformity between fabricated sensors allowing for easier optimisation for specific sensing applications.

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