Enhanced H2S sensing characteristics of SnO2 nanowires functionalized with CuO

The CuO-functionalized SnO₂ nanowire (NW) sensors were fabricated by depositing a slurry containing SnO₂ NWs on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-guided substrate and subsequently dropping Cu nitrate aqueous solution. The CuO coating increased the gas responses to 20 ppm H₂S up to 74-fold. The R_a/R_g value of the CuO-doped SnO₂ NWs to 20 ppm H₂S was as high as 809 at 300 °C, while the cross-gas responses to 5 ppm NO₂, 100 ppm CO, 200 ppm C₂H₅OH, and 100 ppm C₃H₈ were negligibly low (1.5–4.0). Moreover, the 90% response times to H₂S were as short as 1–2 s at 300–400 °C. The selective detection of H₂S and enhancement of the gas response were attributed to the uniform distribution of the sensitizer (CuO) on the surface of the less agglomerated network of the SnO₂ NWs.     

Electrical response of Sm2O3-doped SnO2 to C2H2 and effect of humidity interference

Pure and Sm₂O₃-doped SnO₂ are prepared through a sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The sensor based on 6 wt% Sm₂O₃-doped SnO₂ displays superior response at an operating temperature of 180 °C, and the response magnitude to 1000 ppm C₂H₂ can reach 63.8, which is 16.8 times larger than that of pure SnO₂. This sensor also shows high sensitivity under various humidity conditions. These results make our product be a good candidate in fabricating C₂H₂ sensors.     

Influence of Cs doping in spray deposited SnO2 thin films for LPG sensors

Detection of low concentrations of petroleum gas was achieved using transparent conducting SnO₂ thin films doped with 0–4 wt.% caesium (Cs), deposited by spray pyrolysis technique. The electrical resistance change of the films was evaluated in the presence of LPG upon doping with different concentrations of Cs at different working temperatures in the range 250–400 °C. The investigations showed that the tin oxide thin film doped with 2% Cs with a mean grain size of 18 nm at a deposition temperature of 325 °C showed the maximum sensor response (93.4%). At a deposition temperature of 285 °C, the film doped with 3% Cs with a mean grain size of 20 nm showed a high response of 90.0% consistently. The structural properties of Cs-doped SnO₂ were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD); the preferential orientation of the thin films was found to be along the (3 0 1) directions. The crystallite sizes of the films determined from XRD are found to vary between 15 and 60 nm. The electrical investigations revealed that Cs-doped SnO₂ thin film conductivity in a petroleum gas ambience and subsequently the sensor response depended on the dopant concentration and the deposition temperature of the film. The sensors showed a rapid response at an operating temperature of 345 °C. The long-term stability of the sensors is also reported.     

SnO2 thin films modified by the SnO2–Au nanocomposites: Response to reducing gases

The influence of the SnO₂ surface modification by the SnO₂–Au nanocomposites on conductivity response to such reducing gases as CO and H₂ has been analyzed in the present paper. Both initial SnO₂ films, subjected for surface modification, and SnO₂–Au nanocomposites were deposited by Successive Ionic Layer Deposition (SILD) method. The SnO₂–Au nanocomposites with Au/Sn ratio 1 were synthesized using HAuCl₄ and SnCl₂ precursors. The thickness of the Au-SnO₂ nanolayers varied from 0.7–1.0 nm to 10–15 nm. It was established that the increase in the thickness of the SnO₂–Au nanocomposite layer formed on the surface of the SnO₂ films was accompanied by both the improvement of sensor response and the decrease in response and recovery times. An explanation of the observed effects has been proposed.     

Enhanced H2S sensing characteristics of Pt doped SnO2 nanofibers sensors with micro heater

Gas sensors were designed and fabricated using oxide nanofibers as the sensing materials on micro platforms using micromachining technology. Pure and Pt doped SnO₂ nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and their H₂S gas sensing characteristics were subsequently investigated. The sensing temperatures of 300 and 500 °C could be attained at the heater powers of 36 and 94 mW, respectively, and the sensors showed high and fast responses to H₂S. The responses of 0.08 wt% Pt doped SnO₂ nanofibers to 4-20 ppm H₂S, were 25.9-40.6 times higher than those of pure SnO₂ nanofibers. The gas sensing characteristics were discussed in relation to the catalytic promotion effect of Pt, nano-scale morphology of electrospun nanofibers, and sensor platform using micro heater.     

Ultrahigh ethanol response of SnO2 nanorods at low working temperature arising from La2O3 loading

The influences of La₂O₃ loading on the ethanol sensing properties of SnO₂ nanorods were investigated. An obvious enhancement of response was obtained. The response of 5 wt% La₂O₃ loaded SnO₂ nanorods was up to 213 for 100 ppm ethanol at low working temperature of 200 °C, while that of pure SnO₂ nanorods is 45.1. The improvement in response might be attributed to the presence of basic sites, which facilitated the dehydrogenation process. While the working temperature was increased to 300 °C, the sensor response decreased to 16 for 100 ppm ethanol. Additionally, the La₂O₃ loaded SnO₂ nanorods sensors showed good selectivity to ethanol over methane and hydrogen. Our results demonstrated that the La₂O₃ loaded SnO₂ nanorods were promising in fabricating high performance ethanol sensors which could work at low temperature.     

Highly sensitive SnO2 thin film with low operating temperature prepared by sol–gel technique

Sol–gel dip coating technique was employed to prepare Cu-doped SnO₂ thin films, which were able to detect H₂S gas at room temperature with high sensitivity and revealed fast response characteristics. The highest sensor response (the ratio of resistance in air versus in H₂S) was 3648 under H₂S concentration of 68.5 ppm at room temperature. Recoverability of the thin films appeared when the temperature raised to 50 °C. The films were analyzed by means of XRD and the dried gel powder was studied by TG-DTA test. Influences of sintering temperature and doping level on the H₂S response are discussed. The average grain size of the SnO₂ was about 25 nm.     

Gas sensing properties of SnO2 nanowires on micro-heater

The SnO₂ nanowires (NWs) network gas sensors were fabricated on a micro-electrode and heater suspended in a cavity. The sensors showed selective detection to C₂H₅OH at a heater power during sensor operation as low as 30-40 mW. The gas response and response speed of the SnO₂ NWs sensor to 100 ppm C₂H₅OH were 4.6- and 4.7-fold greater, respectively, than those of the SnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) sensor with the same electrode geometry. The reasons for these enhanced gas sensing characteristics are discussed in relation to the sensing materials and sensor structures.     

Fe2O3 modified thick films of nanostructured SnO2 powder consisting of hollow microspheres synthesized from pyrolysis of ultrasonically atomized aerosol for LPG sensing

Nanostructured hollow spheres of SnO₂ with fine nanoparticles were synthesized by ultrasonic atomization. Thick film gas sensors were fabricated by screen printing technique. Different surface modified films (Fe₂O₃ modified SnO₂) were obtained by dipping them into an aqueous solution (0.01 M) of ferric chloride for different intervals of time followed by firing at 500 °C. The structural and microstructural studies of the samples were carried out using XRD, SEM, and TEM. The sensing performance of pure and modified films was studied by exposing various gases at different operating temperatures. One of the modified sample exhibited high response (1990) to 1000 ppm of LPG at 350 °C. Optimum amount of Fe₂O₃ dispersed evenly on the surface_, adsorption and spillover of LPG on Fe₂O₃ misfits and high capacity of adsorption of oxygen on nanostructured hollow spheres may be the reasons of high response.     

Development and application of micromachined Pd/SnO2 gas sensors with zeolite coatings

Zeolite A (LTA)-coated micromachined sensors have been prepared and used in the sensing of individual gases (H₂, CH₄, C₂H₅OH, C₃H₈ and CO, in the 10–1000 ppm range) and gas mixtures. Unlike previous works with conventional sensors, a hydrothermal synthesis was not used to prepare a zeolite film. Instead, a zeolite coating was formed on top of the Pd/SnO₂ surface by microdropping from a zeolite suspension. In spite of this, the response of the sensor with zeolite is significantly different from that of unmodified sensors, and essentially reproduces the performance of zeolite-coated conventional sensors. By avoiding the use of a hydrothermal synthesis the integrity of the sensor is better preserved, and the resulting non-continuous zeolite film has the added advantage of a strong reduction in response times.     

H2 sensing characteristics of highly textured Pd-doped SnO2 thin films

The effects of the crystallographic orientation on the H₂ gas sensing properties were investigated in highly oriented polycrystalline Pd-doped SnO₂ films, which were obtained using rf magnetron sputtering of a Pd (0.5 wt%)-SnO₂ target on various substrates (a-, m-, r-, and c-cut sapphire and quartz). All the films had a similar thickness (110 nm), root-mean-square (rms) roughness (1.3 nm), surface area, and chemical status (O, Sn, and Pd). However, the orientation of the films was strongly affected by the orientation of the substrates. The (1 0 1), (0 0 2), and (1 0 1) oriented films were grown on (a-cut), (m-cut), and (r-cut) Al₂O₃ substrates, respectively, and rather randomly oriented films were deposited on (0 0 0 1) (c-cut) Al₂O₃ and quartz substrates. In addition, the oriented Pd-doped SnO₂ films were highly textured and had in-plane orientation relationships with the substrates similar to the epitaxial films. The (1 0 1) Pd-doped SnO₂ films on and Al₂O₃ showed a considerably higher H₂ sensitivity, and their gas response decreased with increasing sensing temperature (400–550 °C). The films deposited on and (0 0 0 1) Al₂O₃ showed the maximum sensitivity at 500 °C. The comparison of the H₂ gas response between undoped and Pd-doped SnO₂ films revealed that the Pd-doping shifted the optimum sensing temperature to a lower value instead of improving the gas sensitivity.     

Solid-state potentiometric SO2 sensor combining NASICON with V2O5-doped TiO2 electrode

A compact tubular sensor based on NASICON (sodium super ionic conductor) and V₂O₅-doped TiO₂ sensing electrode was designed for the detection of SO₂. In order to reduce the size of the sensor, a thick-film of NASICON was formed on the outer surface of a small Al₂O₃ tube; furthermore, a thin layer of V₂O₅-doped TiO₂ with nanometer size was attached on the NASICON as a sensing electrode. This paper investigated the influence of V₂O₅ doping and sintering temperature on the characteristics of the sensor. The sensor attached with 5 wt% V₂O₅-doped TiO₂ sintered at 600 °C exhibited excellent sensing properties to 1–50 ppm SO₂ in air at 200–400 °C. The EMF value of the sensor was almost proportional to the logarithm of SO₂ concentration and the sensitivity (slope) was −78 mV/decade at 300 °C. It was also seen that the sensor showed a good selectivity to SO₂ against NO, NO₂, CH₄, CO, NH₃ and CO₂. Moreover, the sensor had speedy response kinetics to SO₂ too, the 90% response time to 50 ppm SO₂ was 10 s, and the recovery time was 35 s. On the basis of XPS analysis for the SO₂-adsorbed sensing electrode, a sensing mechanism involving the mixed potential at the sensing electrode was proposed.     

Nano particulate SnO2 based resistive films as a hydrogen and acetone vapour sensor

SnCl₂ (solution) was spin coated on soda lime glass and Al₂O₃ substrate to obtain nano-particulate tin oxide film, directly by sintering at 550 °C for 40 minutes (min). The surface morphology and crystal structure of the tin oxide films were analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The size of SnO₂ nanostructure was determined from UV-vis and found to be ?3 nm. These films were tested for sensing H₂ concentration of 0.1-1000 ppm at optimized operating temperature of 265 °C. The results showed that sensitivity (R_air/R_gas per ppm) goes on increasing with decreasing concentration of test gas, giving concentration dependent changes. Special studies carried out at low concentration levels (0.1-1 and 1-10 ppm) of H₂, give high sensitivity (200 × 10⁻³/ppm) for lowest concentration (0.1-1 ppm) of H₂. The selectivity for H₂ against relative humidity (RH), CO₂, CO and LPG gases is also good. The sensor, at operating temperature of 200 °C, is showing nearly zero response to 300 ppm of H₂, and offering response to acetone vapour of 11 ppm. Selectivity for acetone against RH% and CO₂ was also studied. These sensors can be used as H₂ sensor at an operating temperature of 265 °C, and as an acetone sensor at the operating temperature of 200 °C.     

Water pre-adsorption effect on room temperature SnO2 nanobelt ethanol sensitivity in oxygen-deficient conditions

The water adsorption effects on room temperature ethanol sensitivity of a SnO₂ single crystal nanobelt was studied. SnO₂ nanobelt showed better electrical conductivity in air than in vacuum. The current increased linearly with relative humidity in air and with water concentration in vacuum. In the presence of water vapor, the SnO₂ nanobelt electrical response was quite different, depending on the H₂O and C₂H₅OH molecules adsorption sequence. The current response to ethanol gas increased substantially when water was pre-adsorbed. However, no change was found without water pre-adsorbtion. This interesting behavior is ascribed to competition between the H₂O and C₂H₅OH molecules trying to adsorb on oxygen sites at the tin oxide surface. Dissociated water acts as the surface conduction channel resulting in better conductivity, while ethanol is physisorbed without water pre-adsorption. Based on this sensing mechanism, SnO₂ nanobelt can be used as a highly efficient ethanol detector in humid air.     

Temperature dependent H2S and Cl2 sensing selectivity of Cr2O3 thin films

The conductometric gas sensing characteristics of Cr₂O₃ thin films - prepared by electron-beam deposition of Cr films on quartz substrate followed by oxygen annealing - have been investigated for a host of gases (CH₄, CO, NO₂, Cl₂, NH₃ and H₂S) as a function of operating temperature (between 30 and 300 °C) and gas concentration (1-30 ppm). We demonstrate that these films are highly selective to H₂S at an operating temperature of 100 °C, while at 220 °C the films become selective to Cl₂. This result has been explained on the basis of depletion of chemisorbed oxygen from the surface of films due to temperature and/or interaction with Cl₂/H₂S, which is supported experimentally by carrying out the work function measurements using Kelvin probe method. The temperature dependent selectivity of Cr₂O₃ thin films provides a flexibility to use same film for the sensing of Cl₂ as well as H₂S.     

Tetrakis(alkylthio)-substituted lutetium bisphthalocyanines for sensing NO2 and O3

In this study, the nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) sensing properties of a series bis[tetrakis(alkylthio) phthalocyaninato] lutetium(III) complexes [(C_nH_2n+1S)₄Pc]₂Lu(III) (n = 6, 10, 16) are investigated as a function of concentration in the temperature range between 25 °C and 150 °C. The concentration ranges were 1–10 ppm for NO₂, and 50 ppb–1 ppm for O₃. The response time and the sensor response to NO₂ are measured for approximately 1 min and 100% ppm⁻¹, respectively, for compound 1 at room temperature. At room temperature, all compounds are in the solid phase. The response time decreases to a few seconds with increasing operation temperature to 150 °C. At this temperature, all compounds are in the liquid crystal phase. The fastest response to oxidizing gases is observed at the liquid crystal phase of the Pcs. It has also been observed that the response time and the sensor response depend on the alkyl chain lengths of the Pcs. The doping effect of oxygen has been determined under high purity nitrogen N₂ flow, after exposure to dry air, at a different period of time and after annealing. It has been found that the conductivities of [(C_nH_2n+1S)₄Pc]₂Lu(III) thin films increased after exposure to dry air and the conduction mechanism also changed from ohmic behavior to space-charge-limited conduction.     

Development of SAW-based multi-gas sensor for simultaneous detection of CO2 and NO2

A 440 MHz wireless and passive surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based multi-gas sensor integrated with a temperature sensor was developed on a 41° YX LiNbO₃ piezoelectric substrate for the simultaneous detection of CO₂, NO₂, and temperature. The developed sensor was composed of a SAW reflective delay lines structured by an interdigital transducer (IDT), ten reflectors, a CO₂ sensitive film (Teflon AF 2400), and a NO₂ sensitive film (indium tin oxide). Teflon AF 2400 was used for the CO₂ sensitive film because it provides a high CO₂ solubility, with good permeability and selectivity. For the NO₂ sensitive film, indium tin oxide (ITO) was used. Coupling of mode (COM) modeling was conducted to determine the optimal device parameters prior to fabrication. Using the parameters determined by the simulation results, the device was fabricated and then wirelessly measured using a network analyzer. The measured reflective coefficient S₁₁ in the time domain showed high signal/noise (S/N) ratio, small signal attenuation, and few spurious peaks. The time positions of the reflection peaks were well matched with the predicted values from the simulation. High sensitivity and selectivity were observed at each target gas testing. The obtained sensitivity was 2.12°/ppm for CO₂ and 51.5°/ppm for NO₂, respectively. With the integrated temperature sensor, temperature compensation was also performed during gas sensitivity evaluation process.     

SnO2 thin film sensor with enhanced response for NO2 gas at lower temperatures

Semiconducting SnO₂ thin films having higher value of electrical conductivity have been deposited using RF sputtering technique in the reactive gas environment (30% O₂ + 70% Ar) using a metallic tin (Sn) target for detection of oxidizing NO₂ gas. The effect of growth pressure (12-18 mTorr) on the surface morphology and structural property of SnO₂ film was studied using Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) respectively. Film deposited at 16 mTorr sputtering pressure was porous with rough microstructure and exhibits high sensor response (∼2.9 × 10⁴) towards 50 ppm NO₂ gas at a comparatively low operating temperature (∼100 °C). The sensor response was found to increase linearly from 1.31 × 10² to 2.9 × 10⁴ while the response time decrease from 12.4 to 1.6 min with increase in the concentration of NO₂ gas from 1 to 50 ppm. The reaction kinetics of target NO₂ gas on the surface of SnO₂ thin film at the Sn sites play important role in enhancing the response characteristics at lower operating temperature (∼100 °C). The results obtained in the present study are encouraging for realization of SnO₂ thin film based sensor for efficient detection of NO₂ gas with low power consumption.     

Formaldehyde sensing properties of electrospun NiO-doped SnO2 nanofibers

Formaldehyde is a kind of hazardous gases dangerous to human health. Hence, gas sensor is an essential device to monitor formaldehyde in air, especially in indoor ambient. Semiconductor metal oxides are studied as gas-sensing material to detect most of key gases for decade years. For the purpose of actual application and meeting a variety of conditions, diverse additives added into host material are expected to improve the performance of gas sensors. The formaldehyde gas-sensing characteristics of undoped and NiO-doped SnO₂ (NSO) nanofibers synthesized via a simple electrospinning method were investigated in this study. It is noticed that the addition of NiO causes the distortion at the surface of SnO₂ nanofibers, which is responsible to adjust activation energy, grain sizes and chemical states of host material. The sensors fabricated from NSO nanofibers exhibited good formaldehyde sensing properties at operating temperature 200 °C, and the minimum-detection-limit was down to 0.08 ppm. The response time and recovery time of the sensors were about 50 s and 80 s to 10 ppm formaldehyde, respectively. The sensor shows a good long-term stability in 90 days. The simple preparation and excellent properties significantly advance the viability of electrospun nanofibers as gas sensing materials. The sensing mechanisms of NSO nanofibers to formaldehyde were discussed. The results indicated that NSO nanofibers could be used as a candidate to fabricate formaldehyde sensors in practice.     

A technique for monitoring SO2 in combustion exhausts: Use of a non-Nernstian sensing element in combination with an upstream catalytic filter

Detection of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) at high temperature (600–750 °C) in the presence of some interferents found in combustion exhausts (NO₂, NO, CO₂, CO, and hydrocarbon (C₃H₆)) is described. The detection scheme involves use of a catalytic filter in front of a non-Nernstian (mixed-potential) sensing element. The catalytic filter was a Ni:Cr powder bed operating at 850 °C, and the sensing elements were pairs of platinum (Pt) and oxide (Ba-promoted copper chromite ((Ba,Cu)_xCr_yO_z) or Sr-modified lanthanum ferrite (LSF)) electrodes on yttria-stabilized zirconia. The Ni:Cr powder bed was capable of reducing the sensing element response to NO₂, NO, CO, and C₃H₆, but the presence of NO₂ or NO (“NO_x”, at 100 ppm by volume) still interfered with the SO₂ response of the Pt–(Ba,Cu)_xCr_yO_z sensing element at 600 °C, causing approximately a 7 mV (20%) reduction in the response to 120 ppm SO₂ and a response equivalent to about 20 ppm SO₂ in the absence of SO₂. The Pt–LSF sensing element, operated at 750 °C, did not suffer from this NO_x interference but at the cost of a reduced SO₂ response magnitude (120 ppm SO₂ yielded 10 mV, in contrast to 30 mV for the Pt-(Ba,Cu)_xCr_yO_z sensing element). The powder bed and Pt–LSF sensing element were operated continuously over approximately 350 h, and the response to SO₂ drifted downward by about 7%, with most of this change occurring during the initial 100 h of operation.