Simultaneous determination of trimethylamine, formaldehyde and benzene via the cataluminescence of In₃LaTi₂O₁₀ nanoparticles

The authors describe a cataluminescence (CTL) based sensing method via signals generated at the surface of In₃LaTi₂O₁₀ nanoparticles for simultaneous determination of trimethylamine, formaldehyde and benzene in air. The analytical wavelengths are 340 nm, 440 nm and 600 nm, and the best surface temperature of the catalytic material is 275 °C. The limits of detection of this method are 0.3 mg⋅m⁻³ for trimethylamine, 0.07 mg⋅m⁻³ for formaldehyde, and 0.2 mg⋅m⁻³ for benzene. The linear ranges of CTL intensity versus gas/vapor concentration are from 1.0 to 65.1 mg⋅m⁻³ for trimethylamine, from 0.2 to 72.5 mg⋅m⁻³ for formaldehyde, and from 0.5 to 77.5 mg⋅m⁻³ for benzene. The recoveries after testing 10 standard samples ranged from 98.1% to 102.6% for trimethylamine, from 98.1% to 102.6% for formaldehyde, and from 97.7% to 103.8% for benzene. Gaseous ammonia, acetaldehyde, toluene, ethylbenzene, ethanol, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide do not interfere. The relative deviation of the CTL signals after 200 h of continuous detection of trimethylamine, formaldehyde and benzene is <3%. .