Facile synthesis, characterization and acetone sensing properties of n-type WO3, SnO2 and VO2 semiconducting materials and their cobalt doped performance: Outstanding SnO2-Co acetone selectivity and sensitivity

Abstract

The n-type Semiconducting Metal Oxides have been widely studied and numerous studies have been reported on their excellent result to Volatile Organic Compounds such as ZnO, WO3, SnO2 etc., however their working temperature, response, selectivity, and long-term stability still require improvement. In this paper much effort has been put to improve the performance of acetone sensors by enhancing the surface activity, gas diffusion and decreasing the grain size. The n-type semiconducting sensors and their cobalt doped-counterparts were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The SnO2-Co showed a maximum sensor sensitivity (Ra/Rg) to be as high as 45.8 at an operating temperature of 100 °C when exposed to 5 ppm of acetone. Additionally, the SnO2-Co sensor showed high selectivity to 5 ppm of acetone. The results demonstrate that the SnO2-Co architectures can be used for the detection of low acetone concentrations and have potential for the early diagnosis of diabetes.