ABSTRACT Poly (2,5‐dimethyl aniline) (P25DMA), with and without NiO and ZnO as dopants, is evaluated as a sensing material for ethanol to detect transdermal ethanol emissions. Three sensing materials—P25DMA, P25DMA doped with 20 wt % NiO, and P25DMA doped with 20 wt % ZnO—are eventually deposited onto a radio frequency identification sensor. The limit of detection for the materials is found to be 3, 24, and 420 ppm, respectively. Also, all three sensing materials are selective toward ethanol with benzene and methanol used as interferents. The response and recovery times are also measured for the three sensing materials and are in the order of seconds, which is acceptable for a transdermal ethanol sensor. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42259.
