Analytical instrumentation infrastructure for combinatorial and high-throughput development of formulated discrete and gradient polymeric sensor materials arrays

Abstract

Multicomponent polymer-based formulations of optical sensor materials are difficult and time consuming to optimize using conventional approaches. To address these challenges, our long-term goal is to determine relationships between sensor formulation and sensor response parameters using new scientific methodologies. As the first step, we have designed and implemented an automated analytical instrumentation infrastructure for combinatorial and high-throughput development of polymeric sensor materials for optical sensors. Our approach is based on the fabrication and performance screening of discrete and gradient sensor arrays. Simultaneous formation of multiple sensor coatings into discrete 4 ϫ 6, 6 ϫ 8, and 8 ϫ 12 element arrays ͑3-15 L volume per element͒ and their screening provides not only a well-recognized acceleration in the screening rate, but also considerably reduces or even eliminates sources of variability, which are randomly affecting sensors response during a conventional one-at-a-time sensor coating evaluation. The application of gradient sensor arrays provides additional capabilities for rapid finding of the optimal formulation parameters.

Polymeric Sensor Materials: Toward an Alliance of Combinatorial and Rational Design Tools?

“…Additional parameters are needed in polymeric sensor materials to generate gradients, for example, concentrations of formulation additives and the film thickness. Gradient polymeric sensor arrays (Figure 4)16, 52 can be produced by solvent‐assisted polymerization,16 fiber drawing,53 draw coating,19, 54, 55 ink‐jet printing,56 and potentially by electrospinning 57. 58 If a material requires an additional curing or polymerization, it can be performed using gradient temperature heaters59 and gradient UV curing setups 54…”

“…98, 99 These practical issues represent significant knowledge gaps that prevent a more efficient rational design of formulated sensor materials. Thus, combinatorial methods have been used for the development of multicomponent formulated sensor materials for gaseous17, 45, 100, 101 and ionic18, 19, 47, 55, 102 species. Polymer matrices16, 35, 94, 103 and plasticizers94, 95, 104 are known to affect the response of sensors for gases and liquids, and so an automated screening was applied to determine which polymers and plasticizers were best for the construction of oxygen‐sensing materials based on the [Ru(4,7‐diphenylphenanthroline)] fluorophore.…”

Focused ion beam microscope as an analytical tool for nanoscale characterization of gradient-formulated polymeric sensor materials

“…Chemical response of Au-nanoparticle/polymer composite films has been evaluated using an optical setup described elsewhere [5]. In this setup, a bifurcated optical fiber was used to couple a white light source with a portable spectrograph.…”

Versatile platform for creating gradient combinatorial libraries via modulated light exposure

“…These methods have been used to fabricate libraries of a variety of parameters, including polymer blend composition, 7-9 surface functionality, 10-14 film thickness, 15 and processing parameters. 7,9,12,16 The flexibility demonstrated by such approaches provides context and motivation for the work described here.…”