A cataluminescence gas sensor for carbon tetrachloride based on nanosized ZnS

A novel and sensitive gas sensor was proposed for the determination of carbon tetrachloride based on its cataluminescence (CTL) by oxidation in the air on the surface of nanosized ZnS. The luminescence characteristics and the optimal conditions were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range of the CTL intensity versus the concentration of carbon tetrachloride was 0.4–114 μg mL−1, with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9986 and a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.2 μg mL−1. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for 5.9 μg mL−1 carbon tetrachloride was 2.9% (n = 5). There was no or weak response to common foreign substances including methanol, ethanol, benzene, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, dichloromethane, xylene, ammonia and trichloromethane. There was no significant change of the catalytic activity of the sensor for 40 h over 4 days, with a R.S.D. of less than 5% by collecting the CTL intensity once an hour. The proposed method was simple and sensitive, with a potential of detecting carbon tetrachloride in environment and industry grounds. The possible mechanism was also discussed briefly.