Calcium oxide matrices and carbon dioxide sensors

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 5896 - 5905
• Main Authors: Terencio, Tercio Bezerra Correia, Bavastrello, Valter, Nicolini, Claudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.05.2012; Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
• Subjects: Calcium Compounds - chemistry; calcium oxide; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - chemistry; Composite materials; composites; Emissions; Gases; Industrial plant emissions; Limit of Detection; nanogravimetry; Oxides - chemistry; Polyethylene glycol; Reproducibility of Results; Sampling techniques; Sensors; Italy; composites; carbon dioxide; calcium oxide; nanogravimetry; sensors
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s120505896

Homogeneous matrices of calcium oxide (CaO) were prepared by mixing this material with polyethylene glycol (PEG) acting as malleable inert support in order to obtain processable composites. Preliminary tests were carried out to assess the best concentration of CaO in the composite, individuated in the CaO/PEG weight ratio of 1/4. Experimental data highlighted that the composite was able to selectively detect carbon dioxide (CO(2)) via a nanogravimetric method by performing the experiments inside an atmosphere-controlled chamber filled with CO(2). Furthermore, the composite material showed a linear absorption of CO(2) as a function of the gas concentration inside the atmosphere-controlled chamber, thus paving the way for the possible use of these matrices for applications in the field of sensor devices for long-term evaluation of accumulated environmental CO(2).