(180h) Substrate Controlled Synthesis of Organic Nanowires for Sensor Applications

Though nanotechnology has been studied for over a few decades, only very few nano/micro-wire sensors reached market. One of the major issues is the complicated manufacturing process, which directly results in low repeatability and high cost. This research focuses on new methods of nano/micro-wire sensor fabrication. Our ongoing research on organic nanorods including tetrathiafulvalene bromide charge-transfer salt (TTF-Br) and copper tetracyanoquinodimethane (Cu-TCNQ) focuses on the control of the nanorod size and shape using nanoparticle nucleation seeds. Nanoparticles of different size, shape, and chemical composition are first deposited on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) or glassy carbon (GC) using a multi-step electrochemical process. The modified HOPG and GC can direct the deposition of TTF-Br or Cu-TCNQ. Recently we have applied a similar process for nanowire sensor manufacturing. The TTF-Br and Cu-TCNQ sensors show high sensitivity and fast response towards different hazardous gases, such as ammonia, by monitoring multiple parameters. By tuning the chemical composition of the sensor and applying a deep learning process, selectivity could be further enhanced in the sensor array. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation, US Army Research Office, and MTRAC.