Patent ID: 8153439

Claim:
A sensor for detecting a volatile organic compound, comprising: an electrically insulating support; at least two electrodes positioned at a distance from one another and affixed to the support; and a chemiresistant film deposited at least between the electrodes and comprising surfactant-coated metal nanoparticles or surfactant-coated metal alloy nanoparticles, wherein the surfactant is a compound of Formula (I): [CH 3 (CR 1 R 2 ) n ] 4 NR 3 (I) wherein n is an integer from 3 to 15; R 1 and R 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, and substituted alkyl; and R 3 is selected from the group consisting of Cl − , I − , NO 3 − , SO 4 2− , ClO 4 2− , and PF 6 − ; and wherein conductivity of the chemiresistant film is increased upon exposure to the volatile organic compound.