A cataluminescence gas sensor for ammonium sulfide based on Fe3O4–carbon nanotubes composite

In the present work, Fe₃O₄–carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite was explored as a sensing material candidate for ammonium sulfide. Intense chemiluminescence emission can be observed during the catalytic oxidation of ammonium sulfide on the surface of Fe₃O₄–CNTs composite. Based on this phenomenon, a selective and sensitive gas sensor for the determination of ammonium sulfide was demonstrated. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range of cataluminescence intensity vs concentration of ammonium sulfide gas was 1.4–115 µg mL^?1 (R = 0.998) with a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.05 µg mL^?1. The relative standard deviation (n = 5) for 14.3 µg mL^?1 ammonium sulfide was 1.9%. There was no response to common foreign substances, such as sulfur dioxide, toluene, aether, ethanol, acetone, hydrogen sulfide, carbon bisulfide, benzene and ammonia. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for the determination of ammonium sulfide in artificial air samples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.