Rare earth element‐doped porous In <sub>2</sub> O <sub>3</sub> nanosheets for enhanced gas‐sensing performance
Wenhui Zhang, Sujun Ding, Qingsong Zhang, Hui Yi, Zixiang Liu, Mengli Shi, Rongfeng Guan, Lu Yue
Abstract
Abstract Rare earth (La, Pr, Sm, Ce and Yb)‐doped porous In 2 O 3 nanosheets are prepared by a solvothermal method. The effect of rare earth elements on the structure, morphologies and gas‐sensing performance of In 2 O 3 nanosheets is systematically investigated. The mixed phase composed of c‐In 2 O 3 and rh‐In 2 O 3 can be transformed into rh‐In 2 O 3 by doping with rare earth elements. After doping with rare earth elements, the morphology can be changed from compact nanosheets to porous sheets. Compared with pure In 2 O 3 and La, Pr, Sm, Ce‐doped porous In 2 O 3 nanosheets, Yb‐doped In 2 O 3 nanosheets present the best gas‐sensing performance. Among 3%–10% Yb‐doped samples, 6% Yb‐doped In 2 O 3 porous nanosheets exhibit the optimal gas‐sensing performance to 5 × 10 −6 –750 × 10 −6 acetone, giving a high response of 15.3 toward 50 × 10 −6 acetone and fast response/recovery time at the operating temperature of 220 °C. Moreover, 6% Yb‐doped porous In 2 O 3 nanosheet sensor also exhibits excellent selectivity and stability, indicating its potential in the next‐generation gas sensor.