Method and apparatus for high sensitivity monitoring of molecular contamination
AssigneeParticle Measuring Systems, Inc.
InventorDaniel Rodier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for monitoring molecular contamination includes a measurement element comprising a high surface area material having a surface area greater than 100 square meters per gram, and a sensing circuit connected to the measurement element and providing an output signal characteristic of molecular contamination on the surface of the material. The high surface area material can be an aerogel, carbon, activated carbon, a polymer based on diphenyl p-phenylene oxide, silica, a resorcinol-formaldehyde organic polymer, alumina, or a nanocellular carbon foam or other material. The high surface area material can be doped with a specific molecule which interacts with a particular contaminant molecule.
Claims28
A device for monitoring molecular contamination, said device comprising:
- a measurement element comprising a material having a surface area greater than 100 square meters per gram;
- and
- a sensing circuit connected to said measurement element and providing an output signal characteristic of molecular contamination on the surface of said material.
A method of monitoring molecular contamination, said method comprising:
- providing a measurement element comprising a material having a surface area greater than 100 square meters per gram;
- collecting molecular contamination on said surface area;
- and
- electronically detecting said molecular contamination.
A method for monitoring molecular contamination, the method comprising:
- providing a piezoelectric sensor;
- locating a high-surface-area measurement element on said piezoelectric sensor;
- and
- detecting a molecular contaminant on said measurement element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.