The development of a simple yet excellent cataluminescence sensor based on nano-Dy2O3 for the rapid monitoring of cyclopentanone

We report that cyclopentanone on the surface of nanosized dysprosium oxide (nano-Dy2O3) has strong chemiluminescence emission. A cyclopentanone gas sensor was built based on this phenomenon with a response time of 3 s and a recovery time of 10 s. The cataluminescence characteristics and factors affecting the signal intensity of cyclopentanone sensor were investigated in detail including selecting the appropriate sensing material, detection wavelength, working temperature, and air flow rate. Under these optimized conditions, the calibration curve of the cataluminescence intensity versus cyclopentanone vapor concentration was linear over 0.100–15.0 μg ml−1 with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9973; the limit of detection was 17 mg m−3 (signal/noise = 3). The relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 10) was 1.86% for ten replicates. The selectivity was significantly higher for the target analyte. The sensor was then used to analyze cyclopentanone in spiked samples and organic laboratory environment sample. The results show satisfactory recoveries of 93.3%–108% and RSDs of 7.9%–8.6% indicating that the developed sensor has the potential for the rapid analysis of cyclopentanone.