Ar plasma-engraved rGO/In2O3 hollow nanospheres with rich oxygen vacancies for enhanced triethylamine detection

Abstract

We successfully constructed a high-performance In2O3 based triethylamine sensor using rGO combined with Ar plasma treatment (Ar-rGO/In2O3). The Ar plasma treatment and rGO doping did not cause significant changes to the crystal structure of In2O3 hollow nanospheres, but increased the content of oxygen vacancies in In2O3, while making the structure of In2O3 hollow nanospheres more porous and thin-walled. The gas sensitivity test results show that this new Ar-rGO/In2O3 based sensor has the advantages of high response (Ra/Rg = 172 to 100 ppm, 4.2 times that of pure In2O3 material), low detection limit (0.5 ppm), fast response speed (1 s), and good stability to triethylamine. It also has excellent selectivity, repeatability, and long-term stability. This work is of great significance for understanding the relationship between response and surface oxygen vacancies of sensitive materials, as well as promoting the development of new triethylamine sensors.