Method for improving a chemo/electro-active material
OwnerPatricia A. Morris, John Carl Steichen +3inventors
InventorsPatricia A. Morris, John Carl Steichen, J.J. Barnes, Charles E. Miller, Eugene Michael McCarron III
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a method of improving a chemo/electro-active material by increasing the sensitivity of the material; increasing the stability of an electrical response characteristic of the chemo/electro-active material; or increasing the speed with which a change in an electrical response characteristic of the chemo/electro-active material is detected.
Claims41
In a chemo/electro-active material that exhibits an electrical response characteristic to a multi-component gas mixture, a method of increasing the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material that has a first sensitivity at a first temperature, comprising
- raising the temperature of the chemo/electro-active material to a second temperature at which the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material is increased to a second sensitivity that is greater than the first sensitivity;
- wherein the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material is the ratio given by ΔR/ΔC where
- ΔR is the change in resistance, or in the size of a signal proportional to resistance, experienced by the chemo/electro-active material at a selected temperature as a result of a change in concentration of a component gas or subgroup of gases in the multi-component gas mixture, and
- ΔC is the change in concentration of the component gas or subgroup of gases.
In a chemo/electro-active material that exhibits an electrical response characteristic to a multi-component gas mixture, a method of increasing the stability of the electrical response characteristic of the chemo/electro-active material that has a first stability at a first temperature, comprising
- raising the temperature of the chemo/electro-active material to a second temperature at which the stability of the chemo/electro-active material is increased to a second stability that is greater than the first stability;
- wherein the stability of the electrical response characteristic of the chemo/electro-active material is the ratio given by ΔE/T where
- ΔE is the change in the quantified value of the electrical response characteristic, or in the size of a signal proportional to the electrical response characteristic, that occurs as a result of exposure to the multi-component gas mixture over a selected period of time, and
- T is the selected period of time.
In a chemo/electro-active material that exhibits an electrical response characteristic to a multi-component gas mixture, a method of increasing the speed with which a change in an electrical response characteristic is detected where the change in the electrical response characteristic is detected at a first speed at a first temperature, comprising
- raising the temperature of the chemo/electro-active material to a second temperature at which the speed with which the electrical response characteristic of the chemo/electro-active material is detected is increased to a second speed that is greater than the first speed.
In a chemo/electro-active material that exhibits an electrical response characteristic to a multi-component gas mixture containing a gaseous component, a method of increasing the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material that has a first sensitivity at a first concentration of the gaseous component, comprising
- reducing the concentration of the gaseous component to a second concentration at which the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material is increased to a second sensitivity that is greater than the first sensitivity;
- wherein the sensitivity of the chemo/electro-active material is the ratio given by ΔR/ΔC where
- ΔR is the change in resistance, or in the size of a signal proportional to resistance, experienced by the chemo/electro-active material at a selected temperature as a result of a change in concentration of a component gas or subgroup of gases in the multi-component gas mixture, and
- ΔC is the change in concentration of the component gas or subgroup of gases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.