Development of a chemiluminescence ethanol sensor based on nanosized ZrO2.

Chemiluminescence was observed on introducing ethanol vapor to the surface of nanosized ZrO2 and this effect could be utilized to design a sensor for trace ethanol detection. The term cataluminescence (CTL) was used to describe this kind of chemiluminescence because the luminescence is generated by the catalytic oxidation of organic vapors on the solid surface. The proposed sensor showed high sensitivity to ethanol at 195 degrees C. The stability of the gas sensor was demonstrated by continuous reaction with ethanol for 100 h. Quantitative analysis was performed at an optimum wavelength of 460 +/- 10 nm. The chemiluminescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of ethanol from 1.6 to 160 microg ml(-1), with a detection limit of 0.6 microg ml(-1) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3:1). The mechanism of the chemiluminescence reaction is discussed and the results show that one of the possible luminescent intermediates is acetaldehyde. The chemiluminescence on nanosized ZrO2 observed in this work demonstrates the possibility of developing new nanomaterials for low-temperature cataluminescence detection.