A study on quartz crystal sensor arrays for the detection of volatile organic contaminants using neural network

This thesis is an investigation of the quartz crystal sensor arrays for the detection of volatile organic compounds using neural network. Continuous measurement of volatile organic compounds in ground and surface water systems is required for environmental monitoring, and pollution control. Recent advances in the field of the chemical sensors based on Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCM) have led to the development of electronic systems which meet this requirement for environmental monitoring.;A sensor array system, employing an array of QCMs and hollow fiber membranes, for the detection of volatile organic compounds is designed and tested. A novel approach for optimizing the operation of this sensor array system using an artificial neural network is proposed and implemented. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed optimization method can achieve comparable or even better analytical results than classical statistical methods. Combining the technologies developed in the fields of artificial intelligence and array systems, this sensor system has successfully identified six kinds of volatile organic compounds in water solution.