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

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that multi-walled carbon nanotube films can serve as low-cost, reusable sensors for measuring alcohol concentration in liquids by monitoring changes in electrical resistance.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel application of MWCNT films as a simple, effective sensor for alcohol detection in liquids, with linear response and reusability.

## Key findings

- Resistance increases linearly with alcohol concentration.
- Sensor response is fast and reversible.
- Applicable to various beverages for quality control.

## 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.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1902.00887