Chemiresistors for ethanol detection in hydrocarbons

Two chemiresistors based on two interpenetrating networks of a polymer and a polyelectrolyte have been characterized by impedance spectroscopy in 10 ethanol/cyclohexane blends to evaluate the feasibility of a sensor for the detection of ethanol into gasoline. The chemiresistors show high sensitivity, negligible hysteresis and non-linear temperature dependence. They have also been powered at fixed frequencies showing, at 20 kHz, detection range from 0 to 100%, response time of few seconds, and promising stability. The interference of water resulted negligible up to 2%.