Performance Requirements and Mechanistic Analysis of Organic Transistor-Based Phosphonate Gas Sensors

Abstract

Organic semiconductor-based transistors are an attractive alternative for vapor sensors, because chemical functional groups that can interact with vapors may be covalently attached to the semiconductors near the channel region where current flows. The attachment of OH groups to a hole-transporting and an electron-transporting molecular semiconductor subunit greatly enhances response to dimethyl methylphosphonate, a polar analyte related to vapors of interest for national security purposes. The response is consistent with models of organic transistor action. Integration of organic transistors into complete sensor systems and performance requirements of these systems are discussed.