Nonideal Electromotive Force of Zirconia Sensors for Unsaturated Hydrocarbon Gases

Abstract

Non‐Nernstian behaviors of a zirconia‐based oxygen sensor for saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon gases were studied in the presence of 10% oxygen at . The sensor, using an sensing electrode, produced large electromotive forces (emfs) for the unsaturated hydrocarbons which were aliphatic as well as aromatic. The emf values of the sensor for the hydrocarbons were strongly affected by their unsaturation fraction, carbon number, and chain structure. ©1998 The Electrochemical Society