Exposure Studies of Different Kinds of Volatile Organic Compounds in Vapour Phase with a Narrow-gap Cell Containing CuxS Modified Carbon Microdisc Electrode

Abstract

In this article, the feasibility of the Cu_xS modified carbon microdisc electrode was examined by exposure to four different volatile organic compounds (2-propanol, acetic acid, ethyl acetate and n-butylamine) directly in their vapour phase using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The performance of the modified microdisc was compared with the bare carbon microdisc (30 μm in diameter) which was involved in a narrow-gap cell. By using both methods high current increase was observed for 2-propanol with the modified electrode and its sensitivity was sufficiently higher than with the bare electrode. The modified electrode showed lower current signals in case of acetic acid and n-butylamine. The latter formed a condensation layer at the interelectrode gap. Neither the bare nor the modified electrode was sensitive to ethyl acetate.