Abstract
An easy, convenient and widespread applicable detection of chemical species in a liquid was realized by using a contact of p- and n-type semiconducting ceramics (it was called p-n hetero-contact). This p-n hetero-contact was constructed by mechanically pressing together the polished surfaces of p-type CuO and n-ZnO sintered pellets. When this system was put into an alcohol and a. c. bias was applied across its interface, a characteristic current-voltage (I-V) relation with hysteresis and rectifying nature was observed, depending both on the kind and the concentration of the alcohol. It was possible to discriminate the chemical species and to estimate the alcohol concentration in alcoholwater solutions by estimating three parameters reflecting the magnitude of hysteresis, current flow and rectifying nature, respectively, calculated from the observed I-V curve. That is, the former two parameters decreased and the latter one increased, when the number of carbon atoms in an alcohol molecule increased, or when the water content in an alcohol solution decreased. It was recognized that the observed I-V relation is generated not only from the physical properties of the liquid, such as electrical conductivity and dielectric constant, but also from the interface states formed by the chemical interaction between alcohol molecules and semiconductor surfaces.
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