Sol-gel Encapsulated Hexanuclear Clusters for High-Temperature Oxygen Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fiber optic oxygen sensors are limited by the degradation of lumophores at high temperatures and sensitivity to environmental conditions, making them unsuitable for continuous monitoring and harsh environments, particularly in biological and high-temperature applications.
Innovation Solution
A light modifying ceramic composition with an oxygen-permeable sol-gel matrix and a hexanuclear molybdenum/tungsten core lumophore, which is stable up to 200°C and resistant to environmental factors, is applied to the end of an optical fiber to create a remote oxygen sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If organic polymer matrices are used to immobilize lumophores in fiber optic sensors, then the sensor can operate at lower temperatures and provide flexible integration, but the sensor cannot withstand high temperatures above 100°C and is limited to non-corrosive chemical environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from organic polymer to inorganic sol-gel matrix, which fundamentally alters the temperature stability from below 100°C to above 200°C while maintaining the fiber optic integration capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining sol-gel matrix with lumophore clusters, achieving both the mechanical flexibility needed for fiber integration and the thermal stability required for high-temperature operation
2Reliability
If conventional lumophores are used in oxygen sensors, then the sensor can provide oxygen detection capability, but the lumophores degrade at high temperatures and are sensitive to environmental conditions such as pH and salinity
Solution Approach 1:
The sol-gel matrix acts as an intermediary between the lumophore and the external environment, providing a protective barrier that shields the lumophore from pH, salinity, and other environmental factors while allowing oxygen permeability for detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the lumophore from conventional organic compounds to hexanuclear Mo6Cl12 clusters, which fundamentally alters the stability parameter from degradation at 100°C to stability above 200°C and resistance to environmental conditions
3Adaptability or versatility
If dispersed lumophore in polymer matrix is used for fiber optic sensing, then the sensor can be integrated with fiber tip geometry, but the polymer matrix cannot survive extended exposure to high temperatures and swelling chemical environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the matrix material parameter from organic polymer to inorganic sol-gel, which alters the thermal stability from degradation at 100°C to stability above 200°C and chemical resistance from swelling to non-swelling behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops a composite system of sol-gel matrix with embedded lumophore clusters that combines the adaptability for fiber tip integration with the reliability to survive in chemically corrosive and high-temperature environments
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor provides stable and continuous oxygen monitoring in harsh environments, including biological systems and high-temperature applications, with improved resistance to temperature and environmental factors, enabling effective in situ measurements.
Implementation Method 1
A number of oxygen sensors are based on the quenching by oxygen of the luminescent properties of organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds
Implementation Method 2
a fiber optic oxygen sensor must immobilize a thermally and chemically stable lumophore in a thermally and chemically stable porous matrix
Data Source
AI summary
A light modifying ceramic composition comprises an oxygen permeable sol-gel matrix and a lumophore held on the matrix. In particular, the lumophore of the invention is a hexanuclear molybdenum/tungsten core having 12 anionic ligands and two ligands that are uncharged. Uncharged ligands include organic nitriles, organic phosphines, and organic arsines. In one embodiment, the ceramic composition containing the lumophore and the sol-gel matrix is applied to the end of an optical fiber to provide a remote oxygen sensor. The sensors are useful for in situ biological monitoring of oxygen either in vivo or in vitro, and in time dependent control of combustion processes such as an automobile or power plant.