{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]],"date-time":"2026-03-19T22:01:45Z","timestamp":1773957705859,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,23]],"date-time":"2021-08-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1629676800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IIP-2640668"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IIP-2640668"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Sensing films based on polymer\u2013plasticizer coatings have been developed to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere at low concentrations (ppm) using quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs). Of particular interest in this work are the VOCs benzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene which, along with xylene, are collectively referred to as BTEX. The combinations of four glassy polymers with five plasticizers were studied as prospective sensor films for this application, with PEMA-DINCH (5%) and PEMA-DIOA (5%) demonstrating optimal performance. This work shows how the sensitivity and selectivity of a glassy polymer film for BTEX detection can be altered by adding a precise amount and type of plasticizer. To quantify the film saturation dynamics and model the absorption of BTEX analyte molecules into the bulk of the sensing film, a diffusion study was performed in which the frequency\u2013time curve obtained via QCM was correlated with gas-phase analyte composition and the infinite dilution partition coefficients of each constituent. The model was able to quantify the respective concentrations of each analyte from binary and ternary mixtures based on the difference in response time (\u03c4) values using a single polymer\u2013plasticizer film as opposed to the traditional approach of using a sensor array. This work presents a set of polymer\u2013plasticizer coatings that can be used for detecting and quantifying the BTEX in air, and discusses the selection of an optimum film based on \u03c4, infinite dilution partition coefficients, and stability over a period of time.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s21165667","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,23]],"date-time":"2021-08-23T10:24:17Z","timestamp":1629714257000},"page":"5667","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Polymer\u2013Plasticizer Coatings for BTEX Detection Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Abhijeet","family":"Iyer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Veselinka","family":"Mitevska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jonathan","family":"Samuelson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Scott","family":"Campbell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8279-0100","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Venkat R.","family":"Bhethanabotla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5350, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1486","DOI":"10.1164\/ajrccm\/136.6.1486","article-title":"Health effects and sources of indoor air pollution. Part I","volume":"136","author":"Samet","year":"1987","journal-title":"Am. Rev. Respir. Dis"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1126\/science.6857273","article-title":"Indoor air pollution: A public health perspective","volume":"221","author":"Spengler","year":"1983","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.29024\/aogh.910","article-title":"Volatile Organic Compounds in Air: Sources, Distribution, Exposure and Associated Illnesses in Children","volume":"84","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann. Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04929.x","article-title":"Carcinogenic Effects of Benzene: Cesare Maltoni\u2019s Contributions","volume":"982","author":"Mehlman","year":"2002","journal-title":"Ann. N. Y. Acad."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"532","DOI":"10.1080\/00022470.1984.10465771","article-title":"EPA\u2019s Program for Establishing National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants","volume":"34","author":"Tabler","year":"1984","journal-title":"J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3737","DOI":"10.1021\/ac0505674","article-title":"Trends in Environmental Analysis","volume":"77","author":"Koester","year":"2005","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"595","DOI":"10.1365\/s10337-004-0222-z","article-title":"Modified Polypyrrole with Tetrasulfonated Nickel Phthalocyanine as a Fiber for Solid-Phase Microextraction. Application to the Extraction of BTEX Compounds from Water Samples","volume":"59","author":"Djozan","year":"2004","journal-title":"Chromatographia"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1366\/0003702001949168","article-title":"Comparison of Near-Infrared, Infrared, and Raman Spectroscopy for the Analysis of Heavy Petroleum Products","volume":"54","author":"Chung","year":"2000","journal-title":"Appl. Spectrosc."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.1366\/0003702981944436","article-title":"Feasibility of Simultaneous Measurement of Xylene Isomers and Other Hydrocarbons in p-Xylene Production Processes Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy","volume":"52","author":"Chung","year":"1998","journal-title":"Appl. Spectrosc."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1016\/S0003-2670(00)01065-5","article-title":"UV spectroscopic method for monitoring aromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in water","volume":"422","author":"Vogt","year":"2000","journal-title":"Anal. Chim. Acta."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"415","DOI":"10.1016\/S0925-4005(98)00079-3","article-title":"Sensor system for the detection of organic pollutants in water by thickness shear mode resonators","volume":"48","author":"Lucklum","year":"1998","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2020.128265","article-title":"Chiral carbon dots-based nanosensors for Sn(II) detection and lysine enantiomers recognition","volume":"319","author":"Gao","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1021\/bk-1989-0403.ch011","article-title":"Vapor Detection with Surface Acoustic Wave Microsensors","volume":"403","author":"Wohltjen","year":"1989","journal-title":"Chem. Sens. Microinstrum."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Cheeke, J.D.N., Tashtoush, N., and Eddy, N. (1996, January 3\u20136). Surface acoustic wave humidity sensor based on the changes in the viscoelastic properties of a polymer film. Proceedings of the 1996 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, San Antonio, TX, USA."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kuchmenko, T.A., and Lvova, L.B. (2019). A Perspective on Recent Advances in Piezoelectric Chemical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring and Foodstuffs Analysis. Chemosensors, 7.","DOI":"10.3390\/chemosensors7030039"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1021\/acssensors.6b00659","article-title":"Investigation of Polymer\u2013Plasticizer Blends as SH-SAW Sensor Coatings for Detection of Benzene in Water with High Sensitivity and Long-Term Stability","volume":"2","author":"Adhikari","year":"2017","journal-title":"ACS Sens."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8564","DOI":"10.1021\/ac301458e","article-title":"Using Plasticizers to Control the Hydrocarbon Selectivity of a Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)-Coated Quartz Crystal Microbalance Sensor","volume":"84","author":"Pejcic","year":"2012","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5046","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jced.0c00671","article-title":"Sorption of Benzene, Toluene, and Ethylbenzene by Poly(ethyl methacrylate) and Plasticized Poly(ethyl methacrylate) at 298.15 K Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance","volume":"65","author":"Kaur","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Chem. Eng. Data"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1648","DOI":"10.1016\/j.talanta.2011.06.062","article-title":"Modifying the response of a polymer-based quartz crystal microbalance hydrocarbon sensor with functionalized carbon nanotubes","volume":"85","author":"Pejcic","year":"2011","journal-title":"Talanta"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9512","DOI":"10.1021\/ac5015029","article-title":"Fingerprinting oils in water via their dissolved VOC pattern using mid-infrared sensors","volume":"86","author":"Pejcic","year":"2014","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1021\/acssensors.5b00024","article-title":"Detection and Quantification of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Compounds in Water Using SH-SAW Sensors and Estimation-Theory-Based Signal Processing","volume":"1","author":"Sothivelr","year":"2016","journal-title":"ACS Sens."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4595","DOI":"10.1021\/ac0504621","article-title":"Analysis of Liquid-Phase Chemical Detection Using Guided Shear Horizontal-Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors","volume":"77","author":"Li","year":"2005","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"Adapa, D. (2019). Sorption of Benzene, Tolueneand Ethylbenzeneby Plasticized PEMA and PEMA\/PMMA Sensing Films Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) at 298.15K. [Master\u2019s Thesis, University of South Florida]."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2755","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jced.7b00120","article-title":"Sorption of Benzene, Dichloroethane, Dichloromethane, and Chloroform by Poly(ethylene glycol), Polycaprolactone, and Their Copolymers at 298.15 K Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance","volume":"62","author":"Iyer","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Chem. Eng. Data"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3354","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jced.1c00437","article-title":"Sorption of Benzene, Toluene, and Ethylbenzene at low concentration by Plasticized Poly (ethyl methacrylate) and Polystyrene polymers Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance at 298.15K","volume":"66","author":"Iyer","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Chem. Eng. Data"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"206","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01337937","article-title":"Verwendung von Schwingquarzen zur W\u00e4gung d\u00fcnner Schichten und zur Mikrow\u00e4gung","volume":"155","author":"Sauerbrey","year":"1959","journal-title":"Z. Phys."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"731","DOI":"10.1016\/S0079-6700(99)00016-7","article-title":"Physical models of diffusion for polymer solutions, gels and solids","volume":"24","author":"Masaro","year":"1999","journal-title":"Prog. Polym. Sci."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1177\/0731684415610920","article-title":"Durability and prediction models of fiber-reinforced polymer composites under various environmental conditions: A critical review","volume":"35","author":"Wang","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Reinf. Plast. Compos."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bender, F., Josse, F., and Ricco, A.J. (2011, January 2\u20135). Influence of ambient parameters on the response of polymer-coated SH-surface acoustic wave sensors to aromatic analytes in liquid-phase detection. Proceedings of the 2011 Joint Conference of the IEEE International Frequency Control and the European Frequency and Time Forum (FCS), San Francisco, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/FCS.2011.5977752"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1817","DOI":"10.1109\/JSEN.2009.2030881","article-title":"Near Real-Time Monitoring of Organophosphate Pesticides in the Aqueous-Phase Using SH-SAW Sensors Including Estimation-Based Signal Analysis","volume":"9","author":"Wenzel","year":"2009","journal-title":"IEEE Sens. J."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2409","DOI":"10.1021\/ac9603643","article-title":"Effects of temperature and humidity on the performance of polymer-coated surface acoustic wave vapor sensor arrays","volume":"68","author":"Zellers","year":"1996","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/21\/16\/5667\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T06:49:41Z","timestamp":1760165381000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/21\/16\/5667"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,23]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"16","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8]]}},"alternative-id":["s21165667"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s21165667","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,23]]}}}