Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, Vol.33, No.3-4, 253-258, 2003
Electrochemical reduction of vinyl chloride on a Au/porous alumina plate/Pt electrode assembly in nonaqueous electrolytes: Toward the development of gas sensors
A novel configuration consisting of one porous alumina plate, two electrodes sputtered on both sides and an organic electrolyte, was developed to analyse in situ vinyl chloride in the gaseous phase. Gold and platinum with several solvents ( e. g., 1,4-dioxane aqueous solution, acetonitrile and toluene/DMF mixtures) were applied to investigate the suitability for the analysis of vinyl chloride gas in the concentration range of 13 - 44.5%. The effect of solvent composition on the response behavior was discussed. The analyser with 20% toluene/80% DMF (v/v) mixture had the largest sensitivity at -2.3 V vs Ag/Ag+. The content of residual water in the electrolyte affected not only the background current but also the reduction current of vinyl chloride.
Keywords:electrochemical analysis;nonaqueous electrolyte;porous alumina plate;vinyl chloride monomer (VCM);water effect