Sensing of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES) - a CWA simulant - using pure and platinum doped nanostructured CdSnO3 thin films prepared from ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique

Nanostructured perovskite CdSnO3 and Pt-CdSnO3 thin films were prepared using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. The nozzle (driven by ultrasonic frequency of 120 kHz) fixed on microprocessor controlled motorized arm could move in X-Y direction and spray onto heated (300 degrees C) glass substrate to give the films of repeatable thickness and microstructure. Structural and microstructural properties of the films were studied using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The sensing performance of the films was tested for CWA simulants, such as, CEES (2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide C4H9CIS), DMMP (dimethyl methyl phosphonate C3H9O3P) and CEPS (2-chloroethyl phenyl sulfide C8H9CIS). Both CdSnO3 and Pt-CdSnO3 showed higher response, better selectivity and faster speed of response to CEES as compared to their responses of DMMP and CEPS. CEES response of Pt-CdSnO3 is larger than the response of CdSnO3. The results are discussed and interpreted. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.