Sensitive and selective personal exposure monitors are needed to assess ozone (O3) concentrations in the workplace atmosphere in real time for the analysis and prevention of health risks. Here, a cumulative gas sensor using visible spectroscopy for real-time O3 determination is described. The sensing chip is a mesoporous silica thin film deposited on transparent glass and impregnated with methylene blue (MB). The sensor is reproducible, stable for at least 50 days, sensitive to 10 ppb O3 (one-tenth of the occupational exposure limit value in France, Swiss, Canada, U.K., Japan, and the USA) with a measurement range tested up to 500 ppb, and insensitive to NO2 and to large variation in relative humidity. A model and its derivative as a function of time are proposed to convert in real time the sensor response to concentrations, and an excellent correlation was obtained between those data and reference O3 concentrations. This sensor is based on a relatively cheap sensing material and a robust detection system, and its analytical performance makes it suitable for monitoring real-time O3 concentrations in workplaces to promote a safer environment for workers.
Keywords: mesoporous silica; methylene blue; occupational exposure; optical gas sensor; ozone.