Subsurface H<sub>2</sub>S Detection by a Surface Acoustic\nWave Passive Wireless Sensor Interrogated with a Ground Penetrating\nRadar
David Rabus, Jean‐Michel Friedt, Lilia Arapan, Simon Lamare, Marc Baqué, Grégoire Audouin, Frédéric Chérioux
Abstract
Long-term\nmonitoring of organic pollutants in the soil is a major\nenvironmental challenge. We propose to meet this issue by the development\nof a polymer dedicated to selectively react with H<sub>2</sub>S, coating\nsurface acoustic wave transducers designed as passive cooperative\ntargets with the compound, and probing their response using Ground\nPenetrating RADAR, thus providing the capability to monitor the presence\nof H<sub>2</sub>S in the subsurface environment. The selectivity is\nbrought by including lead(II) cation in a reticulated polymer matrix\nwhich can be deposited as a thin layer on a surface acoustic wave\nsensor. We demonstrate a signal enhancement mechanism in which water\nabsorption magnifies the signal detection, making the sensor most\nsensitive to H<sub>2</sub>S in an underground environment saturated\nwith moisture.