Elektrochemiczne sensory gazowe do detekcji nadtlenku wodoru - dataset

Abstract

Fast and accurate on-site detection of gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is important for improving health and environmental issues, as well as it may be a factor in the prevention of terrorist attacks. Elevated concentrations of gaseous H2O2 in the exhaled breath have been associated with some severe diseases as lung cancer and asthma, thus easy-to-use breath analysis is an emerging field of point-of-care clinical monitoring. Present-day major terrorist attacks, most notably 2005 London terrorist suicide bomb attacks, a series of terrorist attacks, Paris (2015), Brussels Airport and metro station bombings (2016), and Manchester Arena terror (2017), were all committed using highly explosive organic peroxo compounds, i.e. triacetonetriperoxide, 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triethyl-1,4,7-cyclononatriperoxane, hexamethylenetriperoxide diamine, etc. These explosives have also been extensively used in improvised explosive devices in recent war zones and still pose a threat since they are very easy to make from common household chemicals (like H2O2, acetone, urea, etc.) and as non-nitro explosives, they are very difficult to detect using standard analytical techniques. In addition, H2O2 has many uses in a variety of industries as a powerful oxidising agent and/or bleach (e.g. food and paper production); it can also be a vital component of rocket fuel, waste-water treatment, organic and inorganic synthesis, and as an effective disinfectant. Elevated concentrations of gaseous H2O2 can have a serious effect on human health indoors and can represent a serious risk for the environment. In the past few years, several detection methods have been proposed. They are based on chromatography, luminescence, Raman spectroscopy, chemiresistivity, and electrochemical methods, designed to quantify H2O2 in solutions. These approaches offer excellent sensitivity and selectivity, however, the analyses have to be performed in a specialised laboratory. In addition, expensive instrumentation and qualified personnel are required. Electrochemistry, in particular, electrochemical gas sensors offer an excellent platform for direct, fast, sensitive, and on-site measurements of various electroactive species. Moreover, recent electronic and sensor miniaturization enables very small-size device assemblies and true portability at a very low cost. The present project will facilitate the development of fast, portable, sensitive and reliable early warning gas sensors for detecting traces (< 50 nM) of H2O2 in the air. The project will address several important issues regarding H2O2 detection: (i) development of suitable semi-solid electrolytes providing good solubility of gaseous H2O2 promoting its accumulation to achieve improved sensitivity and detection at ambient conditions; (ii) investigation of the appropriate electrode materials and development of new electrochemical measuring methods, including facilitating electrocatalytic redox processes of H2O2 to lower its inherently high redox overpotentials and thus avoiding possible interferences, supported by mathematical modelling and fundamental research; (iii) assuring portability of sensors by the study of miniaturisation and development of small sensors, operated by laptops, tablets or smartphones. We expect the proposed investigation to lead to highly applicable new gas sensors for gaseous H2O2 and important new knowledge in the fields of health and environmental care as well as terrorism prevention and electrochemical gas sensors. Both project partners (Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Poland and National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia) have long term experience in the field of the proposed investigation. While the main focus of the Polish group has been electroanalytical chemistry with an emphasis on the methodological development of advanced electroanalytical techniques, the Ljubljana group has more experience with electrochemical gas sensors and synthesis of task-specific electrocatalysts and electrolytes based on ionic liquids and polymers. The methodologies used by both partners have also been to a large extent complementary. The project partners have already collaborated in the field of toxic metal electrochemical sensors based on bismuth-film electrode. With this project, we want to extend our mutual activities to our common field of interest – portable electrochemical gas sensors for real-life applications.