Using Design of Experiment to Investigate the Effects of Conducting Polymer Composite Sensor Composition on the Response to an Homologous Series of Alcohols

Statistical design of experiment (DOE) is a critically important tool in the engineering, physical and chemical science worlds for improving existing products and also for the development of new products. This paper investigates the use of DOE for the design and characterisation of conducting polymer composite (CPC) vapour sensors. DOE has the advantage of providing a large amount of information on a process using a minimum amount of experimentation, equipment and time. This analysis tool is therefore ideal for the development of composite sensors, where more than one material determines the properties of the sensor. The effects of % plasticiser, polymer type, alcohol type and concentration on the response and response times of these materials were investigated. The results showed that plasticiser significantly improved the response but also increased the response time. PVB was the best polymer to use to achieve a high response but again it had a very long response time. The DOE analysis technique provided a large amount of information on the response of the chosen materials with three alcohols that using standard testing methods would have required a lot more experimental work