Abstract
As one of the most widely used domestic fuels, the detection of possible leakages of Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas from production plants, from cylinders during their storage, transport and usage is of utmost importance. This article discusses a study of the response of undoped and chlorine doped electrodeposited n-type Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O) films to of LP gas. Undoped n-type Cu2O films were fabricated in an electrolyte bath containing a solution of sodium acetate and cupric acetate whereas n-type chlorine doped Cu2O thin films were prepared by adding a 0.02 M cuprous chloride (CuCl2) into an electrolyte solution containing lactic acid, cupric sulfate and sodium hydroxide. The n-type conductivity of the deposited films was determined using spectral response measurements. The structural and morphological properties of the fabricated films were monitored using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Due to doping, the overall conductivity of the chlorine doped n-type Cu2O films increased by several orders of magnitude. The temperature dependent gas responses of both the undoped and chlorine doped n-type Cu2O thin films to the LP gas was monitored by measuring the electrical resistance (R), and using the contact probe method at a constant gas flow rate of 0.005 ml/s. Upon exposure to gases, both doped and undoped films showed a good response to the gas by increasing/decreasing the electrical resistance by ΔR. The undoped n-type Cu2O thin films showed a negative response (ΔR 2O thin films initially showed a positive response (ΔR > 0) to the LP gas which then reversed its sign to give a negative response which peaked at 52°C. The positive response shown by the chlorine doped Cu2O films vanished completely at 42°C.
Highlights
Hazardous gases are being released continuously to the atmosphere due to industrialization, increased human activities and the natural processes that take place as a result of drastic changes in the environment
This paper reports the use of electrodeposited chlorine doped n-type Cu2O thin films for monitoring Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas while making a comparison with the previously reported LP gas sensing behavior of undoped Cu2O thin films [10]
It can be clearly seen that the chlorine doping has altered the gas sensing behavior of n-type Cu2O thin films significantly
Summary
Hazardous gases are being released continuously to the atmosphere due to industrialization, increased human activities and the natural processes that take place as a result of drastic changes in the environment. Gas sensing has become an important area of research that leads to the development of highly responsive gas sensing devices capable of detecting minute amounts of gases of different types. One such gas that requires monitoring in the context of developing countries is the highly inflammable Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas which is being used very widely as a domestic fuel. Coupled with the ease and associated low cost of fabrication make electrodeposited Cu2O thin films a suitable candidate for gas sensing applications. The temperature dependent variation of the gas sensing sensitivity is discussed including the reaction mechanisms that cause the observed behaviour
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