title: Polymers with embedded chemical indicators as an artificial olfactory mucosa.
abstract: Physiological investigations suggest that the olfactory mucosa probably plays an ancillary role in the recognition of odours introducing a sort of chromatographic separation that, together with the zonal distribution of olfactory receptors, gives place to selective spatio-temporal response patterns. It has been recently suggested that this behaviour may be simulated by chemical sensors embedded in continuous polymer layers. In this paper, in analogy to the biology of olfaction, a simple and compact platform able to separate and detect gases and vapours on the basis of their diffusion properties is proposed. In such a system, broadly selective colour indicators, such as metalloporphyrins, are embedded in continuous layers of polymers with different sorption properties. The exposure to various alcohols and amines shows that the porphyrins are mainly responsible for the recognition of the molecular family, while the occurring spatio-temporal signal patterns make possible the identification of the individual chemical species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dini
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Filippini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paolesse
authors.forename: Arnaldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.forename: Ingemar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lundström
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Natale
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D008665:Metalloporphyrins / Q000737:chemistry; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000502:physiology; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D008665:Metalloporphyrins; D011108:Polymers