Detection of the organic solvent vapors by the optical gas sensors based on polyaminoarenes

The important problem to ensure the safety of life is the development of effective methods for monitoring of toxic gases in the atmosphere and industrial premises. To ensure such control, various gas sensors are developed that work on the effects of changes in electrical resistance, optical absorption or radiation in a certain spectral range. Most known gas sensors have high operating temperatures, which creates some difficulties in their operation, so more and more attention is paid to sensors based on conjugated electrically conductive polymers, in particular, polyaminoarenes. In result of absorption of inorganic polar gases such as ammonia, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen chloride and others the significant changes in conductivity, optical absorption and morphology of polyaminoarene films are observed. However influence of organic solvent vapors  on the optical spectra of polyaminoarene films for today is poorly studied. In the present work the functional polymer films of polyanisidine (PoA) and polytoluidine (PoTI) are proposed as sensitive elements of optical sensors operating at room temperatures. The sensitive films on the transparent SnO2 surface were prepared by electrodeposition. The influence of vapors of organic solvents (dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, nitrobenzene, toluene) on the optical characteristics of PoTi and PoA films was established. The optical absorption spectra investigated PoA film was characterized by two band with maximum near 360–410 nm (π–π* transition) and broad band in the range of 620–950 nm which is a superposition of the second and third bands. Influence of organic vapors causes the changes in films coloration. The maximum of sensitivity to the organic vapors for PoTI films in all cases is observed at λ > 550 nm and extends to near-infra-red area indicating a formation of free charge carriers of polaron type. Nonpolar solvent vapors insignificantly affect the optical properties of polyaminoarene films responсes to spectral changes in the visible and NIR range of spectrum. A highest gas sensitivity of optical signal was observed under influence of dimethylformamide and tetrahydrofuran vapors. The time to establish the steady-state value of the optical response is 30–60 s for PoTi, while for PoA reaches 120–180 s depending on the nature of organic vapors.