Optimization of sensor production by means of experimental design

Conducting polymers have been widely investigated due to their potential applications, in particular for the production of low cost chemical sensors. Many different polymers with distinct physical and chemical properties can be easily synthesized allowing a wide number of basic materials. Unfortunately, problems associated with conducting polymer sensors are also numerous. Repeatability and reproducibility of polymer synthesis and, more generally, of sensor production procedures are not easy to obtain. The same for the stability of sensor responses. The experimental design approach allows the planning of a strategy by which a few experiments make it possible to estimate both the main effect of each variable and their interactions. In the present work, experimental design has been used to find the set of experiments required to optimize chemical polymerization of substituted polythiophenes by means of inorganic salts.