Metal colloids as sensor-active materials for the detection of volatile compounds and solvents

The following will demonstrate that metal colloids, usually known in the field of catalysis, can also be used as sensor-active layers on a quartz microbalance. A systematic screening showed that these sensors can be excellently used for the detection of various volatile organic substances. Their great advantage is their long time stability as well as the possibility of fine tuning the sensor by altering the three parameters metal, ligand and their proportion.