Low temperature gas sensing applications using copier grade transparency sheets as substrates

Transparency sheets, coated with copper on both sides by means of thermal evaporation in vacuum, are patterned by direct chemical etching to realize sensing platforms having copper heaters on the backside, and resistances having calibrated temperature coefficient on the topside. The mechanical and thermal stability of these structures was demonstrated up to 70 degrees C. Bending tests also show that the metallic patterns do maintain unaltered performances after more than 10(4) bending cycles. Resistance measurements show that the resistance on the patterned copper structures linearly increases with the temperature in the range between room temperature and 70 degrees C, while above this temperature an irreversible damage occurs. Experimental investigations demonstrate that the heaters on the backside of the sensing platforms allow to obtain a quite uniform temperature distribution on the top side over an area larger than 1 cm(2). Coating the flexible sensing platform by doped polyaniline and carbon nanotubes embedded in a polymer host, a chemoresistive system operating at low temperature is developed, which allows to perform tests at constant temperature, with the temperature being set and monitored by using the heater and the patterned resistance, respectively. The sensing performances of the films are evaluated by means of electrical measurements performed while exposing the samples to different relative humidity levels, and to calibrate ammonia pulses. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.