A Wireless Hybrid Chemical Sensor for Detection of Environmental Volatile Organic Compounds

A hybrid sensor for monitoring volatile organic compounds in air is developed. The device combines two orthogonal sensing principles, selective molecular binding with a microfabricated quartz tuning fork detector and separation of analytes with a column. The tuning fork detector is functionalized with molecular imprinted polymers for selective binding to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), and the separation column provides further discrimination of the analytes for real world complex sample analysis. The device is wireless, portable, battery-powered, and cell-phone operated, and it allows reliable detection in parts per billion by volume-levels of BTEX in the presence of complex interferents. The hybrid device is suitable for occupational, environmental health, and epidemiological applications.