Improved formaldehyde gas sensing properties of well-controlled Au nanoparticle-decorated In2O3 nanofibers integrated on low power MEMS platform

Abstract

Approaches for the fabrication of a low power-operable formaldehyde (HCHO) gas sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity were performed by the utilization of an effective micro-structured platform with a micro-heater to reach high temperature with low heating power as well as by the integration of indium oxide (In2O3) nanofibers decorated with well-dispersed Au nanoparticles as a sensing material. Homogeneous In2O3 nanofibers with the large specific surface area were prepared by the electrospinning following by calcination process. Au nanoparticles with the well-controlled size as a catalyst were synthesized on the surface of In2O3 nanofibers. The Au-decorated In2O3 nanofibers were reliably integrated as sensing materials on the bridge-type micro-platform including micro-heaters and micro-electrodes. The micro-platform designed to maintain high temperature with low power consumption was fabricated by a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technique. The micro-platform gas sensor consisting with Au-In2O3 nanofibers were fabricated effectively to detect HCHO gases with high sensitivity and selectivity. The HCHO gas sensing behaviors were schematically studied as a function of the gas concentration, the size of the adsorbed Au nanoparticles, the applied power to raise the temperature of a sensing part and the kind of target gases.