A new kind of oxygen sensitive transducer based on an immobilised metallo-organic compound

A new kind of oxygen-sensitive transducer has been realized based on the reflectance change of bis(histidinato)cobalt(II) [Co(His) 2] immobilized on a thin-layer chromatographic plate (TLC plate). This plate is further coated with a two-component silicone rubber layer in order to maintain a wet environment for the cobalt complex and to provide mechanical protection of the oxygen-sensitive layer. An experimental characterization of the sensor material shows it to be capable of detecting oxygen at levels as low as 0.2% (v/v) in an argon stream with rate constants of 12 s and 65 s for the oxygenation and deoxygenation process, respectively.