A trace ppb-level electrochemical H2S sensor based on ultrathin Pt nanotubes

An amperometric sensor has been developed with high sensitivity for real-time measurement of H2S gas at room temperature (25 °C ± 2 °C). In order to enhance the utilization of platinum and improve its catalytic performance, an ultrathin and one-dimensional (1D) Pt nanotubes (Pt NTs, ~3.5 nm in wall thickness) were designed and used as sensing electrode materials. Different concentrations of H2S gas were tested to evaluate the sensitivity of the sensor and to obtain the relationship between the electricity response signal and H2S gas concentration. At room temperature, the sensor based on Pt NTs shows better sensing performance than that based on Pt nanoparticles, which is mainly attributed to two factors, namely, the inherent characteristic of the hollow 1D Pt NTs. The Pt NTs-based sensor shows a detection limit as low as 0.025 ppb, which are the lowest among H2S gas sensors reported in the literatures. The response and recovery times are 0.75 s and 0.86 s for 0.8 ppb H2S, respectively. In addition, the sensor shows a wide range (100 ppm-0.025 ppb), high selectivity compared to other gases (including CO, NH3, CH2O, NO and NO2), good reproducibility, and satisfactory long-term stability. Thus, the ultrathin Pt NTs-based gas sensor would be a great potential to the real-time and online monitoring of the trace ppb-level H2S gas at room temperature.