Carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor
AssigneePolestar Technologies, Inc.
InventorJames A. Kane
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A carbon dioxide detector including a sensor component, where the sensor component has a colorimetric indicator salt of a colorimetric pH indicator and a lipophilic phosphonium quaternary cation, a transparent polymer vehicle or a plasticizer not being in a mixture with the colorimetric indicator salt; and a porous memory, a porous polymer membrane in one instance, the colorimetric indicator salt being deposited on a surface of the porous polymer membrane; the colorimetric indicator salt deposited on the porous polymer membrane does not include a transparent polymer vehicle or a plasticizer, and carbon dioxide detection systems using the detector.
Claims33
A carbon dioxide detector comprising:
- a sensor component comprising:
- a colorimetric indicator salt of a colorimetric pH indicator and a lipophilic phosphonium quaternary cation, wherein a transparent polymer vehicle or a plasticizer is not used;
- and
- a porous membrane;
- the colorimetric indicator salt being deposited on a surface of a pore structure of the porous membrane;
- the colorimetric indicator salt deposited on the porous membrane does not include a transparent polymer vehicle or a plasticizer;
- the sensor component being configured such that a response (“rise”) time and a recovery (“fall”) time of the carbon dioxide detector are substantially similar;
- the pore structure and a concentration of the colorimetric indicator salt in a solution being configured to result in a thin film of the colorimetric indicator salt being deposited on the porous membrane.
A method for forming a carbon dioxide detector, the method comprising:
- mixing a colorimetric pH indicator at a molar concentration for a desired colorimetric indicator salt, and a quaternary phosphonium hydroxide, at a slight molar excess, in a solvent;
- a transparent polymer vehicle or a plasticizer not being in a mixture with the colorimetric indicator salt;
- soaking a porous membrane in the colorimetric pH indicator, quaternary phosphonium hydroxide, solvent solution for a predetermined length of time;
- and evaporating the solvent to form a thin film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.