A novel gaseous pinacolyl alcohol sensor utilizing cataluminescence on alumina nanowires prepared by supercritical fluid drying

A cataluminescence (CTL) sensor using Al2O3 nanowires as the sensing material was developed for the determination of trace pinacolyl alcohol in air samples based on the catalytic chemiluminescence (CL) of pinacolyl alcohol on Al2O3 nanowires. Eight catalysts were examined and the CL intensity on Al2O3 nanowires prepared by supercritical fluid drying was the strongest. This novel CL sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity to gaseous pinacolyl alcohol at optimal temperature of 340 °C. Quantitative analysis was performed at a wavelength of 460 nm. The linear range of CTL intensity versus concentration of gaseous pinacolyl alcohol was 0.09 × 10−6 to 2.56 × 10−6 g mL−1 (r = 0.9983, n = 6) with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.0053 × 10−6 g mL−1. None or only very low levels of interference were observed while the foreign substances such as water vapor, ethanol, ammonia, chloroform, benzene, nitrogen dioxide, methylbenzene, hydrochloric acid, methanol and butanol were passing through the sensor. The response time of the sensor is less than 100 s, and the sensor had a long lifetime more than 60 h. The sensor would be potentially applied to analysis of the nerve agents such as Soman.