Electronic tongue — an array of non-specific chemical sensors — for analysis of radioactive solutions.

A variety of novel sensing materials on the basis of phosphine oxides for solvent polymeric sensors have been developed and studied. It was found that phosphine oxide sensors exhibit good sensitivity to rare earth metal cations, such as La3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Eu3+ and also to Y3+. Polymeric sensors can be comprised into electronic tongue sensor arrays that may allow detection of several rare-earth metal ions simultaneously in mixed solutions. Such sensor arrays are highly promising for environmental and industrial sensing, e.g., for analysis of spent nuclear fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]