Sensitive, selective chemical-sensing layers produced by plasma organic film technology

Plasma organic films, the properties of which can be modified by adjusting their molecular structures, have various potential applications as high-performance chemical-sensing probes. Sensitive, selective sensing devices have been prepared by sputtering amino acids and fluoropolymers on a quartz-crystal microbalance plate. Their sorption properties are governed by their polar or non-polar molecular structures. An indication of their sorption capacities, which provide sensory information, is obtained from a physicochemical description of their molecular interactions with organic vapors based on the solvatochromic descriptors. This approach will be useful for tailoring the structure of chemical-sensing layers and their sorption characteristics.