Selective detection of trace 1-butanol by QCM sensor coated with copolymer P(HEMA-co-MA)

A novel copolymer P(HEMA-co-MA) was successfully designed and synthesized for the fabrication of copolymer-coated QCM sensors to detect vapor of organic pollutant in air. The QCM results indicated that the P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated sensors exhibited high sensitivity, stability and selectivity for the detection of 1-butanol vapor in air over toluene, p-xylene and butyl acetate, which are usually produced in the coating process of films on the back of solar cell array. The lowest detection limit of 1-butanol can reach 72 ppm, which can result in the frequency shift of 4.0 Hz (ΔF3) for the QCM sensor coated with 161 nm thick P(HEMA-co-MA) thin film. Furthermore, such P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated QCM sensor was reusable and can be reactivated by releasing the adsorbed vapor in vacuum. These P(HEMA-co-MA)-coated QCM sensor may have potential application in the monitoring and controlling the concentration of 1-butanol vapor in the factory of back-film producer of solar cell array, which may be helpful for the healthy of the related personnel in the production of solar cell array.