Synthesis of Mesoporous\nSiO<sub>2</sub> Nanomicrospheres\nfor the Efficient Cataluminescence Sensing of Isobutyraldehyde

Cataluminescence (CTL) sensors are among the most simple,\ninexpensive,\nsensitive, and selective tools for gas sensing. This study presented\na highly efficient and selective CTL sensor system based on mesoporous\nSiO<sub>2</sub> nanomicrospheres for the quick and sensitive analysis\nof isobutyraldehyde. Furthermore, its response intensity was 12.7\ntimes higher than that of a nonmesoporous SiO<sub>2</sub>-based sensor.\nThe constructed CTL sensor exhibited a good linear range (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.997) for detecting isobutyraldehyde, spanning\n3.11–311 ppm, with a low detection limit of 1.1 ppm. This enabled\nsuccessful analysis of trace isobutyraldehyde in real samples. Finally,\nthe CTL mechanism of this sensor was further explored. This study\npresents an approach for the quality detection of an important volatile\norganic compound, isobutyraldehyde, by a mesoporous-based CTL sensor.