SnO2 Nanostructured Thin Films for Room-Temperature Gas Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds

Kelsey Haddad, Ahmed Abokifa, Shalinee Kavadiya, Byeongdu Lee, Sriya Banerjee, Baranidharan Raman, Parag Banerjee, Cynthia Lo, John Fortner, Pratim Biswas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

We demonstrated room-temperature gas sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using SnO2 nanostructured thin films grown via the aerosol chemical vapor deposition process at deposition temperatures ranging from 450 to 600 °C. We investigated the film's sensing response to the presence of three classes of VOCs: apolar, monopolar, and biopolar. The synthesis process was optimized, with the most robust response observed for films grown at 550 °C as compared to other temperatures. The role of film morphology, exposed surface planes, and oxygen defects were explored using experimental techniques and theoretical calculations to improve the understanding of the room-temperature gas sensing mechanism, which is proposed to be through the direct adsorption of VOCs on the sensor surface. Overall, the improved understanding of the material characteristics that enable room-temperature sensing gained in this work will be beneficial for the design and application of metal oxide gas sensors at room temperature.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)29972-29981
Number of pages10
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume10
Issue number35
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 5 2018

Keywords

  • aerosol chemical vapor deposition
  • DFT calculations
  • metal-oxide nanostructures
  • sensors
  • thin films

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