Cataluminescence-Based Gas Sensors

Cataluminescence (CTL) is chemiluminescence emitted in a course of catalytic oxidation. Since 1990, the present authors and coworkers have observed CTL during the catalytic oxidation of various organic vapors in air. This phenomenon has been applied to the CTL-based sensors for detecting combustible vapors. THE CTL response is fast, reproductible and proportional to the concentration of the combustible vapors of ppm orders in air. Based on two types of models of the CTL, the relationship between the CTL intensity and the rate of catalytic oxidation have been investigated analytically. In this article, the effects of catalyst temperature, gas flow-rate and gas concentration on the CTL intensity are demonstrated. Finally, various types of sensing system using the CTL-based sensor are proposed. The results of discrimination and determination of more than ten types of vapors of various concentrations are shown.