Multi-walled carbon nanotube films for the measurement of the alcoholic concentration

Abstract: We show that a multi-walled carbon nanotube film can be used as the sensing element of a low-cost sensor for the alcoholic concentration in liquid solutions. To this purpose, we investigate the electrical resistance of the film as a function of the isopropanol concentration in a water solution. The analysis reveals a growing resistance with increasing isopropanol concentration and a fast response. The sensing element is re-usable as the initial resistance value is restored once the solution has evaporated. The electrical resistance increases linearly when the multi-walled carbon nanotube film is exposed to common beverages with increasing alcoholic content. This work paves the way for the development of low-cost, miniaturized MWCNT-based sensors for quality monitoring and control of alcoholic beverages and general liquid solutions.