Inventors:
Robert C. Hughes - Albuquerque NM, US
Ronald P. Manginell - Albuquerque NM, US
Mark W. Jenkins - Albuquerque NM, US
Richard Kottenstette - Albuquerque NM, US
Sanjay V. Patel - San Diego CA, US
Assignee:
Sandia Corporation - Albuquerque NM
International Classification:
G01N021/00, G01N027/00, G01N031/00, G01N033/00, G01N007/00
US Classification:
422 83, 422 50, 422 56, 422 8201, 422 8202, 422 57, 422 61, 422 681, 422 69, 422 88, 422 98, 436 43, 436174, 436178, 73 101, 73 102, 73 232, 73 5301, 29592, 295921
Abstract:
A chemical-sensing apparatus is formed from the combination of a chemical preconcentrator which sorbs and concentrates particular volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and one or more chemiresistors that sense the VOCs after the preconcentrator has been triggered to release them in concentrated form. Use of the preconcentrator and chemiresistor(s) in combination allows the VOCs to be detected at lower concentration than would be possible using the chemiresistor(s) alone and further allows measurements to be made in a variety of fluids, including liquids (e. g. groundwater). Additionally, the apparatus provides a new mode of operation for sensing VOCs based on the measurement of decay time constants, and a method for background correction to improve measurement precision.