Amperometric Sensor Consisting of Gold-Nanoparticle-Dispersed Carbon Fiber Electrodes for Blister Agent Detection

Abstract

Key words: blister agent, sulfur mustard, amperometric sensor, carbon fi ber, gold nanoparticle An amperometric sensor consisting of gold (Au)-nanoparticle-dispersed carbon fi ber (Au-NDCF) electrodes was developed for detecting a blister agent, i.e., sulfur mustard (HD) gas. A Au-NDCF electrode was prepared by casting hexane solution containing gold nanoparticles onto a carbon fi ber substrate. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images showed that the Au particles were highly dispersed on the carbon fi ber substrate. The diameter of the Au particles varied between 2 and 10 nm. By using the Au-NDCF electrode, no signifi cant response was observed even with the introduction of atmospheric species, such as NO, NO 2 , SO 2 , O 3 , NH 3 and CO, into the environment. The Au-NDCF electrode exhibited a relatively high sensitivity to HD, and the signal-tonoise (S/N) ratio of the proposed sensor depended on the amount of Au nanoparticles on the carbon fi ber and the potential applied to the Au-NDCF electrode. Thus, the resulting electrode could be used for HD (1-20 mg/m 3 ) detection without the error caused by atmospheric interferences. An HD detection limit (S/N = 3) of 1.5 mg/m 3 was obtained, which is the required concentration for an on-site HD monitoring system.