Novel alcohol sensor based on PtRuNi ternary alloy nanoparticles–multi-walled carbon nanotube–ionic liquid composite coated electrode

A novel alcohol sensor was proposed in the present work, which was based on the pulsed electrodeposition of PtRuNi ternary alloy nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)–ionic liquid (IL, i.e. 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexaflurophosphate, OMIMPF6) gel film. The composition, morphology and catalytic activity of the obtained nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and voltammetry, respectively. The PtRuNi–MWNT–IL coated glassy carbon electrode was proved to be suitable for detecting alcohol. The analytical characteristics of the resulting sensor, in terms of poison tolerance, response time, linear range, detection limit, sensitivity, reproducibility and long-term stability were explored and satisfying results were obtained. For comparison, the electrodes with PtRuCo, PtRu and Pt nanoparticles were also prepared and studied.