British Technology Group Limited

University of Leeds

Bloodhound Sensors Limited

Jonathan Clements

Neville Boden

Richard James Bushby

Robert Chandler

Peter F Knowles

Bijan Movaghar

Malini V Jesudason

The present invention discloses a fluid sensing device comprising a substrate having at least one type of dicotic liquid crystals disposed therein and arranged to form an array of columnar structures and a contact means for measuring the flow of electric charge through the upper part of the columnar structure surface. Also disclosed is a method for detecting a fluid comprising the steps of: exposing a sensing device to a fluid so that the fluid interacts with the surface of the discotic liquid crystal; applying a voltage to the contact means; measuring a flow of electric charge; and, analyzing a variable current flow to identify the fluid.

Fluid sensing device using discotic liquid crystals

The present invention discloses an apparatus for detecting one or more fluids, the apparatus comprising a sensor means having electrical properties dependent upon one or more of the presence and the concentration of one or more fluids, an electrical excitation means for applying one or more electrical excitation pulses to the sensor means, a detector means for detecting the electrical behavior of the sensor means in response to the electrical excitation means, and a transformation means for transforming an output of the detector means from the time domain to the frequency domain to determine the electrical properties of the sensor means as a function of frequency over a pre-determined frequency range. The present invention also discloses a method of detecting one or more fluids, said method comprising applying one or more electrical excitation pulses to sensor means having electrical properties dependent upon one or more of the presence and the concentration of one or more fluids, detecting the electrical response of the sensor means to application of the or each said pulse, and transforming the detected response from the time domain to the frequency domain to provide the electrical characteristics of the sensor means as a function of frequency across a predetermined frequency range.

Apparatus and method for detecting fluids

A semi-conducting liquid crystalline material exhibiting anisotropic conduction properties. The material comprises a radical salt of a disc-like mesogen and a dopant which is an oxidizing or a reducing agent. Not more than 0.5 moles of dopant per mole of mesogen are present.

Conducting liquid crystals

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Mirfield, United Kingdom

Jonathan Clements