Colorimetric Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel Polymers for the Detection of Nerve Agent Surrogates

Abstract

The threat of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) necessitates the development of functional materials that not only quickly detect the presence of CWAs but also actively protect against their toxicity. We have synthesized responsive units that exhibit colorimetric responses upon exposure to CWAs and incorporated them into a versatile detection platform based on copolymers prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The theoretical detection limits for CWA simulants in solution for these polymers are as low as 1 ppm. By incorporating hydrogel-promoting units as pendant chains, we are able to obtain polymers that instantly respond to CWA vapors and are easy to regenerate to the deactivated state by simple treatment with ammonium hydroxide vapor. We further demonstrate a collapse of the polymer gels in response to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a strong acid that produces a more fully ionized state as a result of its more caustic nature.