High-performance acetone sensor based on electrospun Tb-doped a-Fe2O3 nanotubes

Gas sensing requires precise gas detection, hence the need for the development of semiconductors with highly selective and sensitive properties. Herein, different amounts of Tb-doped Fe2O3 nanotubes (NTs) are successfully fabricated for detecting acetone gas using electrospinning followed by calcination at 550 ?. Specifically, the gas sensing investigation indicated that 5% Tb-Fe2O3 NTs to 50 ppm acetone reached 53.2 at 170 ?, which is 13 times higher than that of pure Fe2O3 NTs. In addition, the sensor also displays good selectivity and a low detection limit (200 ppb) for acetone. The significant increase in acetone sensing performance could be ascribed to hollow structures with a high specific surface area and the increase in oxygen vacancies by Tb doping. The proposed Tb-doped Fe2O3 NTs offer an effective strategy for fabricating a highly sensitive acetone sensor, which can work well at a relatively low temperature.

Automated summary

In this study, Tb-doped Fe2O3 nanotubes were successfully synthesized and used for detecting acetone gas. The results showed that the 5% Tb-Fe2O3 nanotubes exhibited higher sensing response towards 50 ppm acetone at 170 ℃, as well as good selectivity and low detection limit.