Abstract
Chemical warfare agents such as sarin are highly toxic, and detection of even trace levels is important. Using a hydrogel film containing a built-in two-dimensional chemical potential gradient, we demonstrate the detection of a sarin simulant under conditions potentially as low as a level 1 (6.90 × 10-9 mg/cm3 for 10 min) Acute Exposure Guideline Level sarin exposure. Specifically, the sarin simulant diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) is aerosol-deposited on a hydrogel film containing a built-in ionic chemical gradient and the enzyme, diisopropyl fluorophosphatase (DFPase). DFPase degrades the DFP, releasing fluoride ions. The fluoride ions are then concentrated by the gradient to a miniature electrochemical sensor embedded in the hydrogel providing a 30-fold amplification of the fluoride ion signal, which is an indication of exposure to DFP, relative to a gradient-free system. This method is general for agents which hydrolyze into chemically detectable ionic species.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 14665-14670 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | ACS Omega |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2018 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Chemical Engineering(all)