Polypyrrole and its composites with 3A zeolite and polyamide 6 as sensors for four chemicals in lacquer thinner

This work is an attempt to search for highly selective sensing elements for the chemical vapors in lacquer thinner. Chemically synthesized polypyrrole (PPy) and PPy composites with 3A zeolite (3A) and polyamide 6 (PA): i.e. PPy_3A50 pellet, PA20_PPy13_3A50 film, and PA20_PPy13_3A50 electrospun fiber bundle have been investigated as the sensing materials for four chemical vapors that are the common components of lacquer: acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methanol, and toluene. At 3 vol% of the chemical vapors in N-2, PPy_3A50 pellet and PA20_PPy13_3A50 film exhibits the highest selectivity towards methanol relative to other three chemical vapors, whereas the PA20_PPy13_3A50 electrospun fiber bundle is relatively insensitive to all of the chemical vapors. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.