Enhanced acetone sensing properties based on <i>in situ</i> growth SnO <sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays
Pengfei Cheng, Chen Wang, Yinglin Wang, Luping Xu, Fan Dang, Li Lv, Li Xu
Abstract
Abstract Large-scale and well-aligned in situ growth SnO 2 nanotube (NT) arrays have been synthesized directly on the surface of the Al 2 O 3 ceramic tube by a cost-effective template self-etching method. The morphology of in situ SnO 2 NTs can be adjusted by changing the concentration of urea. The structure and morphology characteristics of SnO 2 NT were examined via x-ray diffraction, BET, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. A series of detections were carried out to evaluate the gas sensing performances. The results indicated that in situ growth SnO 2 NT arrays sensor exhibited an excellent response ( S = 20.3), good linearity under the concentration range of ppm level (5–300 ppm), and outstanding selectivity to 100 ppm of acetone gas. Compared with the sensors fabricated by a slurry-coating method, the controllable in situ assembled SnO 2 NT arrays exhibited a more stable structure and easier fabrication process. The high acetone sensing performance might due to the unique hollow structure and favorable orientation growth. The dominant sensing mechanism about the in situ growth SnO 2 NT arrays sensor has been discussed in detail. It is expected that in situ growth SnO 2 NT arrays sensor with the general working principle and controllable growth strategy will become a promising functional material in monitoring and detecting acetone.