DetectsVX: Organophosphate-Sensing Hydrogel Platform

Materials that selectively actuate in response to chemicals in the environment can serve as the foundation for new sensing platforms that take advantage of innate chemical reactivities to provide low-power, selective sensing of chemical agents. A Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) team designed an organophosphate-sensing platform, called DetectsVX, that uses a hydrogel. Initial demonstrations of sensors based on this selectively actuating material have been successful, and the team is currently pursuing innovations in both hydrogel chemistry and sensing mode.