Abstract
Pure In2O3 nanoparticles are prepared by a facile precipitation method and are further modified by Ag. The synthesized samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and UV-Vis spectra. The results show the successful heterojunction formation between Ag and In2O3. Gas sensing property measurements show that the 5 mol % Ag-modified In2O3 sensor has the response of 67 to 50 ppm ethanol, and fast response and recovery time of 22.3 and 11.7 s. The response is over one magnitude higher than that of pure In2O3, which can be attributed to the enhanced catalytic activity of Ag-modified In2O3 as compared with the pure one. The mechanism of the gas sensor can be explained by the spillover effect of Ag, which enhances the oxygen adsorption onto the surface of In2O3 and thus give rise to the higher activity and larger surface barrier height.
Highlights
Each year, a large number of traffic accidents are triggered by drunk driving, causing serious casualties and property losses
Strict regulations have been made by traffic management organizations to limit drunk driving, and many kinds of methods such as electrochemical sensors have been used for the rapid detection of alcohol concentration in exhaled breath
The microstructures were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM, JEOL JEM-2010F, Tokyo, Japan, 200 kV, 100 μA)
Summary
A large number of traffic accidents are triggered by drunk driving, causing serious casualties and property losses. Strict regulations have been made by traffic management organizations to limit drunk driving, and many kinds of methods such as electrochemical sensors have been used for the rapid detection of alcohol concentration in exhaled breath. Due to their low-cost and simple operation, semiconductor metal oxide (SMOX) gas sensors have gained wide attention [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. The performance enhancement of In2 O3 gas sensors should be further improved to obtain a high response to ethanol. The mechanism is attributable to the enhanced ethanol catalytic property of In2 O3 by Ag with a significant spillover effect
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