ABSTRACT
Nanostructured SnO2 is a promising material for the scalable production of portable gas sensors. To fully exploit their potential, these gas sensors need a faster recovery rate and higher sensitivity at room temperature than the current state of the art. Here we demonstrate a chemiresistive gas sensor based on vertical SnOx nanopillars, capable of sensing < 5 ppm of H2 at room temperature and 10 ppt at 230 °C. We test the sample both in vacuum and in air and observe an exceptional improvement in the performance compared to commercially available gas sensors. In particular, the recovery time for sensing NH3 at room temperature is more than one order of magnitude faster than a commercial SnO2 sensor. The sensor shows an unique combination of high sensitivity and fast recovery time, matching the requirements on materials expected to foster widespread use of portable and affordable gas sensors.
ABSTRACT
We present the results of a joint experimental and theoretical investigation concerning the effect of crystal packing on the electronic properties of the H2OEP molecule. Thin films, deposited in ultra high vacuum on metal surfaces, are investigated by combining valence band photoemission, inverse photoemission, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The spectra of the films are compared, when possible, with those measured in the gas phase. Once many-body effects are included in the calculations through the GW method, the electronic structure of H2OEP in the film and gas phase are accurately reproduced for both valence and conduction states. Upon going from an isolated molecule to the film phase, the electronic gap shrinks significantly and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and LUMO + 1 degeneracy is removed. The calculations show that the reduction of the transport gap in the film is entirely addressable to the enhancement of the electronic screening.
