Abstract
Single crystal SnO2 nanobelts (SnO2 NBs) and La-SnO2 nanobelts (La-SnO2 NBs) were synthesized by thermal evaporation. Both a single SnO2 NB sensor and a single La-SnO2 NB sensor were developed and their sensing properties were investigated. It is found that the single La-SnO2 NB sensor had a high sensitivity of 8.76 to ethanediol at a concentration of 100 ppm at 230 °C, which is the highest sensitivity of a single SnO2 NB to ethanediol among three kinds of volatile organic (VOC) liquids studied, including ethanediol, ethanol, and acetone. The La-SnO2 NBs sensor also exhibits a high sensitivity, good selectivity and long-term stability with prompt response time to ethanediol. The mechanism behind the enhanced sensing performance of La-doped SnO2 nanobelts is discussed.
Highlights
In recent years, metal oxide semiconductors with one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanowires, nanobelts, and nanotubes have been demonstrated to be promising candidates for ultrasensitiveSensors 2015, 15 sensors because of their single crystal nanostructure, high surface-to-volume ratios, special physical and chemical properties [1,2]
It is seen that the obtained La-SnO2 NBs have good shape and a smooth surface, which is suitable for preparing gas sensors
The results reveal that response of the La-SnO2 NB sensor to ethanediol gas is higher than that of the undoped counterpart (SnO2 NB)
Summary
Metal oxide semiconductors with one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanowires, nanobelts, and nanotubes have been demonstrated to be promising candidates for ultrasensitive. Suitable catalysts, noble metals, and transition metals are inserted into SnO2 sensors to improve their selectivity and sensing response [6,7,8]. These metals’ catalytic activities, coupled with the semiconductor properties of the materials used, have resulted in their applications for detection of organic, inorganic vapors, and other toxic, inflammable or hazardous gases [9,10]. We systemically investigated the sensing properties of a single La-SnO2 NB sensor to volatile organic (VOC) liquids and reported our interesting results in this paper
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