Development of Materials and Electrochemical Diagnostics for Fuel Cell-Based Ethanol Sensors

摘要

The most common application of electrochemical ethanol sensors is in breathalyzer devices, which are widely used by law enforcement officers for roadside screening to combat impaired driving. These state-of-the-art breath alcohol sensors (BrAS) employ an electrochemical sensor based upon fuel cell technology. At the heart of the sensor is a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) that employs a porous polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane filled with H_2SO_4 (aq). Each electrode contains massive amounts of Pt black catalyst (～10 - 20 mg/cm~2) and a Teflon binder. The market for these devices is growing rapidly in large part due to the adoption of alcohol ignition interlocks for offenders and new OEM automotive safety requirements in some countries. As such, substantial cost reduction is needed to improve economic viability and OEM cost targets.