In this work, we present a new metal oxide semiconductor gas sensor for detecting trimethylamine (TMA) by bimetal Au@Pt-modified α-Fe2O3 hollow nanocubes (NCs) as sensing materials. The structure and morphological characteristics of Au@Pt/α-Fe2O3 were evaluated through multiple analyses, and their gas-sensitive performance was investigated. Compared with the pristine α-Fe2O3 NC sensor, the sensor based on Au@Pt/α-Fe2O3 NCs exhibited faster response time (5 s) and higher response (R a/R g = 32) toward 100 ppm TMA gas at a lower temperature (150 °C). Furthermore, we also assessed the Au@Pt/α-Fe2O3 NC sensor for detecting the freshness of Larimichthys crocea which have been observed by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The high performance of the Au@Pt/α-Fe2O3 NCs is attributed to the special hollow morphology with a high specific surface area (212.9 m2/g) and the synergistic effect of the Au@Pt bimetal. The Au@Pt/α-Fe2O3 sensor shows promising application prospects in estimating seafood freshness on the spot.

A perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer, used as the proton conductor in the catalyst layer, influences significantly the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalyst-coated membrane (CCM). In this paper, SSC-CCM is prepared by the SSC-PFSA (Aquivion, EW 720) ionomer, and the comparative sample (LSC-CCM) is based on the LSC-PFSA ionomer (Nafion, EW 1100). Compared with LSC-CCM, SSC-CCM shows higher porosity, larger electrochemical surface area (ECSA), and smaller high-frequency resistance. Polarization curves of SSC-CCM tested by the short stack show better performance than those of LSC-CCM, especially under the lower relative humidity operations. Moreover, the SSC-CCM outputs higher voltage and is more stable in the dynamic process with temperature continuously increasing under lower relative humidity operation. Such excellent performance of SSC-CCM is confirmed from the higher proton conductivity of SSC-PFSA under low relative humidity. These results indicate that the SSC-PFSA ionomer could be employed for the CCM catalyst layer under the operation conditions of low relative humidity and dynamic running for automotive applications.

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Listeria monocytogenes, which is abundant in environment, can lead to many kinds of serious illnesses and even death. Nowadays, indirectly detecting the metabolite biomarker of L. monocytogenes, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, has been verified to be an effective way to evaluate the contamination of L. monocytogenes. However, this detection approach is still limited by sensitivity, selectivity, and ppb-level detection limit. Herein, low-cost and highly sensitive and selective 3-hydroxy-2-butanone sensors have been proposed based on the bimetallic AuPd decorated hierarchical flower-like WO3 nanospheres. Notably, the 1.0 wt % AuPd-WO3 based sensors displayed the highest sensitivity (R a/R g = 84 @ 1 ppm) at 250 °C. In addition, the sensors showed outstanding selectivity, rapid response/recovery (8/4 s @ 10 ppm), and low detection limit (100 ppb). Furthermore, the evaluation of L. monocytogenes with high sensitivity and specificity has been achieved using 1.0 wt % AuPd-WO3 based sensors. Such a marvelous sensing performance benefits from the synergistic effect of bimetallic AuPd nanoparticles, which lead to thicker electron depletion layer and increased adsorbed oxygen species. Meanwhile, the unique hierarchical nanostructure of the flower-like WO3 nanospheres benefits the gas-sensing performance. The AuPd-WO3 nanosphere-based sensors exhibit a particular and highly selective method to detect 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, foreseeing a feasible route for the rapid and nondestructive evaluation of foodborne pathogens.

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