Fast response acetone-sensing properties of SnO2 nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method

Abstract

SnO2 nanoparticle architectures were successfully synthesized using a sol-gel method and developed for acetone gas detection. The morphology and structure of the particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SnO2 nanoparticle architectures were configured as high-performance sensors to detect acetone and showed a very fast response time (<1 s), a short recovery time (10 s), good repeatability and high selectivity at a relatively low working temperature. Thus, SnO2 nanoparticles should be promising candidates for designing and fabricating acetone gas sensors with good gas sensing performance. The possible gas sensing mechanism is also presented.