FhG-ICT
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft with its 67 Fraunhofer Institutes and more than 80 research units is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization. Fraunhofer is a non-profit research organization carrying out internationally networked applied research tasks based on project contracts either by public institutions or industry. Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT is a unique research and development facility on energetic materials, energetic systems, polymer technology, applied electrochemistry and environmental engineering comprising the entire span from basic research tasks to application investigations and product introduction on behalf of customer needs. With more than 50 years of experience, Fraunhofer ICT investigates current national and international security topics on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, other public institutions and industry.
Since 2003 “molecularly imprinted polymers” (MIPs) as highly selective and sensitive materials were developed for the use as sensitive layers in sensors or as enrichment material in combination with a mass spectrometer for the detection of explosives. As part of this research funded by the German MoD, Fraunhofer ICT established a couple of coating techniques and synthesis conditions to produce thin MIP layers on different sensor platforms. Selectivity experiments have shown that the layers adsorb only the substances the MIP was imprinted for.
In the last two years MOFs (metal organic frameworks) were investigated also as adsorption materials for small molecules funded by an internal program of Fraunhofer. MOFs can be grafted also on sensor surfaces in thin layers.
Team members
Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie ICT
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer Straße 7
76327 Pfinztal
Germany
