The enhanced gas sensing behavior of porous nanocrystalline SnO2 prepared by solid-state chemical reaction

A solid-state chemical reaction with the assistance of newly made carbon spheres was implemented for the preparation of mesoporous SnO2 nanocrystals. This is the first time SnO2 nanocrystals with a porous structure are fabricated by using this method. The as-obtained materials were examined using diverse techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope and nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments. The results of preliminary gas sensing studies show that the sensors fabricated by the SnO2 products exhibit enhanced sensing characteristics for ethanol and petrol at relatively low temperature. It demonstrates that porous SnO2 nanoparticles can be used as a viable gas-sensing material. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.