10.1016/j.cplett.2014.09.020
The study presents the development of a novel liquid crystal (LC)-based sensor for detecting trace amounts of hydrazine vapour. The sensor is based on the nematic liquid crystal 4-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB), doped with 0.5 wt% 4-decyloxy benzaldehyde (DBA). The key principle of the sensor is that when hydrazine vapours interact with the doped DBA in the 5CB, a diimine compound is formed. This reaction disrupts the orientation of the aligned 5CB molecules, causing a change in optical texture from dark to bright, which can be observed under polarizing optical microscopy. The interaction between DBA and hydrazine was further investigated using Raman spectroscopy. The study demonstrates that this LC-based sensor can detect hydrazine vapours at concentrations as low as 30 ppm, offering a simple, fast, and inexpensive method for real-time detection of hydrazine, a highly toxic and environmentally harmful chemical.