ENose Toolbox: application to array optimization including electronic measurement and noise effects for composite polymer chemiresistors

The impact of the choice of measurement circuit and of thermal noise on the resolving power (discrimination capability) of an array of composite polymer chemiresistors is presented. Semi-empirical models for the composite polymer resistors are used to simulate the behavior of these chemical sensors in a working array using a general purpose simulation tool (the ENose Toolbox). Results show that (a) measurement circuits that reduce or eliminate the effects of the baseline resistance have higher resolving power than those circuits that retain baseline information and (b) thermal noise impacts the resolving power of arrays that contain chemiresistors of lower sensitivity