Elastomeric ozone concentration detector

Micron-sized surface cracks develop in polybutadiene when stretched and exposed to ozone. The consequent reduction in the transparency of the rubber provides a method for quantifying the ambient ozone concentration. The rate at which opacity develops depends linearly on the amount of ozone, and increases with increasing strain. This method of detecting atmospheric ozone has high sensitivity (1 ppb) and a broad dynamic range. The crack morphology can be interpreted in terms of nucleation and growth.