Ionic Liquid based polymer electrolytes for electrochemical sensors

Amperometric NO2 printed sensor with a new type of solid polymer electrolyte and a carbon working electrode has been developed. The electrolytes based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [EMIM][N(Tf)2], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate [BMIM][CF3SO3] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EMIM][BF4] ionic liquids were immobilized in poly(vinylidene fluoride) matrix [PVDF]. The analyte, gaseous nitrogen dioxide, was detected by reduction at -500 mV vs. platinum pseudoreference electrode. The sensors showed a linear behavior in the whole tested range, i.e., 0 - 5 ppm and their sensitivities were in order of 0.3 x∙10-6 A/ppm. The sensor sensitivity was influenced by the electric conductivity of printing formulation; the higher the conductivity, the higher the sensor sensitivity. The rise/recovery times were in order of tens of seconds. The use of screen printing technology and platinum pseudoreference electrode simplify the sensor fabrication and it does not have any negative effect on the sensor stability.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.21.3.7371