Abstract
Abstract In recent years, hybrid structures have attracted wide consideration because they generate new very interesting properties. In this study, a hybrid gas sensor was developed using a simple fabrication process from the combination of porous silicon (PSi) and polythiophene (PTh). The study of the effect of electropolymerization rate and film thickness of PTh on the sensitivity and the stability of sensor was realized at room temperature. PSi was formed by electrochemical anodization, and it is an interesting material for sensing applications due to its high surface area. However, to avoid its degradation and to preserve its properties over the time, PSi surface was functionalized electrochemically with PTh subsequently to thermal oxidation. PTh as a conductive polymer is known for its high sensitivity and stability to environmental change. Several thicknesses of PTh have been electropolymerized onto the oxidized PSi surface to determine the best conditions for developing a sensitive and stable sensor. PTh thickness was controlled by the number of applied voltammogram cyclic. The characterizations of the different elaborated surfaces were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, contact angle, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Finally, we studied the sensitivity, the response time, and the stability of PSi/PTh structures with different PTh thicknesses in the presence of CO2 gas and under cigarette smoke, by performing electrical characterizations, at room temperature.
Highlights
Sensor technology has a significant impact in several fields; research is continuously in progress, especially through the development of nanomaterials.The operating principle of a sensor is to convert the reaction between the gas and the active surface to an electrical signal [1]
It should be remembered that an ideal gas sensor must obey to the law of “6S”: sensitivity, stability, selectivity, speed of response, low cost ($), and the shape [6]; it is difficult to satisfy all of these requirements at the same time
Current research is focused on developing high-performance gas sensors operating at room temperature, under low power consumption, and with a simple fabrication process with low costs and miniaturization for external use
Summary
Sensor technology has a significant impact in several fields; research is continuously in progress, especially through the development of nanomaterials. Current research is focused on developing high-performance gas sensors operating at room temperature, under low power consumption, and with a simple fabrication process with low costs and miniaturization for external use. This study reviews the factors that influence the performance of our hybrid gas sensors (PSi/PTh) and proposes to improve them and determine the appropriate conditions for obtaining the best sensitive sensor with a long lifetime. The effect of the electropolymerization rate and the film thickness of the PTh were studied on the sensitivity and the stability of sensors. We studied the sensitivity, the response time, and the stability of PSi/PTh structures with different PTh thicknesses in the presence of CO2 gas and under cigarette smoke, by performing electrical characterizations, at room temperature. Experimental in order to study the thickness effect on the sensitivity and stability of the hybrid structure. The current–voltage measurements were performed at room temperature with the same potentiostat– galvanostat
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