Highly Selective Wearable Alcohol Homologue Sensors Derived from Pt-Coated Truncated Octahedron Au

Abstract

Unhealthy alcohol inhalation is among the top 10 causes of preventable death. However, the present alcohol sensors show poor selectivity among alcohol homologues. Herein, Pt-coated truncated octahedron Au (Pt_<i>m</i>@Au_to) as the electrocatalyst for a highly selective electrochemical sensor toward alcohol homologues has been designed. The alcohol sensor is realized by distinguishing the electro-oxidation behavior of methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH), or isopropanol (2-propanol). Intermediates from alcohols are further oxidized to CO₂ by Pt_<i>m</i>@Au_to, resulting in different oxidation peaks in cyclic voltammograms and successful distinction of alcohols. Pt_<i>m</i>@Au_to is then modified on wearable glove-based sensors for monitoring actual alcohol samples (MeOH fuel, vodka, and 2-propanol hand sanitizer), with good mechanical performance and repeatability. The exploration of the Pt_<i>m</i>@Au_to-based wearable alcohol sensor is expected to be suitable for environmental measurement with high selectivity for alcohol homologues or volatile organic compounds.