Narrow-Band HoFeO<sub>3</sub> Nanostructure-Based Gas Sensor for <i>n</i>-Propanol Detection
Hongjian Liang, Ningning Liu, Jianbo Lin, Yulan Meng, Jing-Chang Ni, Bin Gao, Zhenquan Tan, Xue‐Zhi Song, Xiaofeng Wang
Abstract
The sensitive detection of n -propanol, a typical marker molecule in respiratory gases for lung cancer, has attracted much attention from the consideration of health in modern society. However, the identification of n -propanol at the sub-ppm level with rapid responsive ability is a significant challenge but very critical for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Herein, we demonstrate a unique chromosome-like HoFeO 3 nanostructure material, prepared by annealing the self-sacrificial template of easily accessible HoFe(CN) 6, for high-performance n -propanol sensing. In detecting n -propanol, the HoFeO 3 material-based sensor exhibits a response of 120.5 to 100 ppm of n -propanol at an operating temperature of 120 °C. Most importantly, it shows a low detection limit of 50 ppb and a good linear relationship between response and concentration. This sensor also possesses a rapid responsive ability with a response time of 4 s. The remarkable sensing performance, greatly outperforming other conventional semiconductor-based chemiresistive gas sensors, can be mainly attributed to the mesoporous structure, various surface element states, and narrow-band traits. The homemade experiment system further validates the practical potential of HoFeO 3 microchromosome-based gas sensors for early-stage lung cancer diagnosis.