The detection of volatile organic compounds with electrochemical gas sensors is still very challenging regarding their sensitivity, selectivity, and operation at room temperature. There is a need for robust, sensitive, inexpensive, and yet easy-to-operate sensors for phenol and other phenolic compounds that function reliably under ambient conditions. Herein, we present a phenol gas sensor based on a combination of a semisolid, alkaline sodium polyacrylate, and commercial screen-printed electrodes. Sodium polyacrylate was employed as a multifunctional sensing material serving as a (i) gel-like electrolyte, (ii) accumulation milieu, and (iii) derivatization medium. Under ambient conditions, the sensor showed excellent sensitivity in the low ppbv (μg m^–3) range, a good linear operation in the examined concentration range of 0.1–1.0 ppmv for up to 105 min accumulation, and low sensitivity toward examined interferences. The sensor also indicated a possibility to differentiate between several phenolic compounds based on their oxidation potential. Given its favorable electroanalytical performance, a strong application potential is envisioned in topical fields such as environmental monitoring, cultural heritage preservation, and occupational health and safety.

中文翻译：

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基于聚丙烯酸钠的电化学传感器，用于在室温下高度灵敏地检测气态苯酚。

在电化学气体传感器中检测挥发性有机化合物的敏感性，选择性和在室温下的操作仍然非常具有挑战性。需要用于在环境条件下可靠地起作用的苯酚和其他酚类化合物的鲁棒，灵敏，便宜，但易于操作的传感器。在这里，我们介绍一种基于半固体，碱性聚丙烯酸钠和商业丝网印刷电极的组合的苯酚气体传感器。聚丙烯酸钠被用作多功能感测材料，其用作（i）凝胶状电解质，（ii）累积环境和（iii）衍生化介质。在环境条件下，传感器在低ppbv（μgm ^–3）范围内，在0.1-1.0 ppmv的检测浓度范围内，线性工作良好，长达105分钟的累积，并且对检测干扰的灵敏度较低。传感器还表明有可能根据其氧化电位来区分几种酚类化合物。鉴于其良好的电分析性能，在诸如环境监测，文化遗产保护以及职业健康与安全等主题领域中，具有强大的应用潜力。