Basic Science Sector

Citation:

Atta, N. F., A. Galal, and M. F. El-Kady, "Chemical Sensors and Biosensors Based on Conducting Polymer Thin Films inPolymer Films: Properties, Performance and Applications", Nova Science Publishers, 2011.

Abstract:

Conducting polymers (CPs) are organic polymers that exhibit electronic, magnetic and optical properties of metals and semiconductors while retaining the attractive mechanical properties and processing advantages of polymers. These features, along with chemical sensitivity, room temperature operation, and tunable charge transport properties, have launched conducting polymers as a major class of chemical transducers, creating powerful thin/thick film sensors for over two decades. Additionally, their synthetic routes are compatible with several functionalization schemes, including covalent bonding to the monomer, entrapment during synthesis, and surface chemistry, which can impart a high degree of selectivity. CPs can be used as the selective layer in sensors (sensor receptor) or as the transducer itself. Physical transducers varying from optical, mass sensitive and electrochemical are all discussed in this chapter. In comparison with most of the commercially available sensors, based usually on metal oxides and operated at high temperatures, the sensors made of CPs have many improved characteristics. They have high sensitivities and short response time and more interestingly they work at room temperature. As a result, more and more attentions have been paid to the sensors fabricated from CPs.

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