Pd-SnO<sub>2</sub>/In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> with a Unique Structure for the Ultrasensitive Detection of Triethylamine near Room Temperature
Zongming Deng, Yumin Zhang, Zhenlin Song, Dong Xu, Baoye Zi, Pengsheng Zhu, Qiang Lü, Jin Zhang, Jianhong Zhao, Qingju Liu
Abstract
Triethylamine (TEA) is a serious threat to people’s health, and it is still a challenge to detect TEA at ppb level near room temperature (RT). Herein, we developed a simple, low-cost, low-temperature, and ultra-sensitive TEA sensor based on Pd-SnO2/In2O3 composites. First, SnO2 nanoparticles were obtained by the pyrolysis of Sn-MOF@SnO2 precursor (MOF: metal organic framework), and Pd-SnO2/In2O3 composites were prepared by further compounding and doping. The results show that the Pd-SnO2/In2O3 sensor is highly sensitive to TEA gas at near RT (at 60 °C, the sensor response to 10 ppm TEA is 12,000, the response/recovery (res/rec) time is 51 s/493 s, and at 30 °C, the response value also reaches 1380, the res/rec time is 66 s/610 s), along with good selectivity, stability, and moisture resistance. Even at 10 °C operating temperature and 75% relative humidity (RH) in a low-temperature and high-humidity environment, it still maintains a high sensitivity of over 1000 to 10 ppm TEA, which shows great application potential in TEA detection. The reason for the enhanced performance of the 0.5%Pd-SnO2/In2O3 sensor can be attributed to a large number of adsorbed oxygens on the unique structure of the material, the good charge transfer ability of the n-n-type heterojunction between SnO2 and In2O3, the chemical sensitization and electronic sensitization of Pd nanoparticles, and the catalytic spillover effect. This work will provide a new approach for preparing sensors with good comprehensive properties, making full use of the advantages of the material structure–activity relationship.