A novel, low-cost, high performance dissolved methane sensor for aqueous environments

Opt Express. 2008 Aug 18;16(17):12607-17. doi: 10.1364/oe.16.012607.

Abstract

A new method for in-situ detection and measurement of dissolved methane in aqueous media/environments with a limit of detection of 0.2 nM (3 sigma, and t90 approxiamtely 110s) and range (1-300 nM) is presented. The detection method is based on refractive index (RI) modulation of a modified PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS) layer incorporating molecules of cryptophane-A [1] which have a selective and reversible affinity for methane [2]. The refractive index is accurately determined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) [3]. A prototype sensor has been repeatedly tested, using a dissolved gas calibration system under a range of temperature and salinity regimes. Laboratory-based results show that the technique is specific, sensitive, and reversible. The method is suitable for miniaturization and incorporation into in situ sensor technology.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry*
  • Methane / analysis*
  • Methane / chemistry*
  • Nylons / chemistry
  • Pilot Projects
  • Polycyclic Compounds
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Transducers*
  • Triazoles / chemistry*
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Nylons
  • Polycyclic Compounds
  • Triazoles
  • cryptophane
  • poly(dimethylsiloxane)-polyamide copolymer
  • Water
  • Methane