Cu(II) Doped Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Sensing Materials for Toluene Detection

Cucl₂ doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were applied as sensing materials to detect toluene (C₇H₈) gas at room temperature. A series of pretreatments including purification and sonication assisted liquid doping on MWCNTs were performed before carrying out sensing experiments. Then the processed MWCNTs were coated on the screen-printed carbon electrodes. The electrical conductivity of the dried MWCNTs film decreased when the electrode was exposed to toluene. There is a good linear correlation between the decreasing amplitude and the toluene concentration. Preliminarily, some sensing mechanisms of the carbon nanotubes were discussed.