Selective detection of trace 1-butanol by QCM sensor coated with copolymer P(HEMA-co-MA)

A novel copolymer P(HEMA-co-MA) was successfully designed and synthesized for the fabrication of copolymer-coated QCM sensors to detect vapor of organic pollutant in air. The QCM results indicated that the P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated sensors exhibited high sensitivity, stability and selectivity for the detection of 1-butanol vapor in air over toluene, p-xylene and butyl acetate, which are usually produced in the coating process of films on the back of solar cell array. The lowest detection limit of 1-butanol can reach 72 ppm, which can result in the frequency shift of 4.0 Hz (Delta F(3)) for the QCM sensor coated with 161 nm thick P(HEMA-co-MA) thin film. Furthermore, such P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated QCM sensor was reusable and can be reactivated by releasing the adsorbed vapor in vacuum. These P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated QCM sensor may have potential application in the monitoring and controlling the concentration of 1-butanol vapor in the factory of back-film producer of solar cell array, which may be helpful for the healthy of the related personnel in the production of solar cell array. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.