Thermally stable SnO2 nanocrystals: Synthesis and application to gas sensors

Masayoshi Yuasa, Koichi Suematsu, Kiyomi Yamada, Ken Watanabe, Tetsuya Kida, Noboru Yamazoe, Kengo Shimanoe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, we prepared thermally stable SnO2 nanocrystals (ca. 4 nm) in a mixture of SnCl4, tetraethylene glycol (TEG), and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) under reflux and obtained a highly sensitive semiconductor gas sensor. It has been determined both theoretically and experimentally that the synthesis of oxide semiconductor nanoparticles is an important factor in highly sensitive semiconductor gas sensors. However, as-synthesized nanocrystals generally grow large during calcination at high temperature, and this thermal crystal growth reduces the sensor response. Therefore, to refine the response of the semiconductor gas sensor, we synthesized thermally stable SnO2 nanocrystals by heating under reflux a SnCl4-TBAH-TEG mixture. The obtained SnO2 nanocrystals exhibited high thermal stability even when calcined at a temperature up to 600 °C. The gas-sensing films fabricated from the thermally stable SnO2 nanocrystals exhibited a high sensor response to hydrogen due to their small crystal size, and a change in their surface property as compared with conventional SnO2 nanocrystals synthesized via hydrothermal treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4203-4208
Number of pages6
JournalCrystal Growth and Design
Volume16
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 3 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Materials Science(all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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