title: Study of a QCM dimethyl methylphosphonate sensor based on a ZnO-modified nanowire-structured manganese dioxide film.
abstract: Sensitive, selective and fast detection of chemical warfare agents is necessary for anti-terrorism purposes. In our search for functional materials sensitive to dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), a simulant of sarin and other toxic organophosphorus compounds, we found that zinc oxide (ZnO) modification potentially enhances the absorption of DMMP on a manganese dioxide (MnO(2)) surface. The adsorption behavior of DMMP was evaluated through the detection of tiny organophosphonate compounds with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors coated with ZnO-modified MnO(2) nanofibers and pure MnO(2) nanofibers. Experimental results indicated that the QCM sensor coated with ZnO-modified nanostructured MnO(2) film exhibited much higher sensitivity and better selectivity in comparison with the one coated with pure MnO(2) nanofiber film. Therefore, the DMMP sensor developed with this composite nanostructured material should possess excellent selectivity and reasonable sensitivity towards the tiny gaseous DMMP species.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Industrial Control Technology, Department of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. florapzf@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Zhifu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Xingfa
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Wuming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000032:analysis; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D017895:Manganese Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D058525:Quartz Crystal Microbalance Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D005740:Gases; D017895:Manganese Compounds; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010087:Oxides; C031116:dimethyl methylphosphonate; D015034:Zinc Oxide; C016552:manganese dioxide