Co-Precipitation Synthesis Method, Characterizations and Humidity Sensing Applications of Perovskite-Type Mixed Oxide La1-xCoxVO3-δ Nanocomposites

Perovskite-type mixed oxide La1-xCoxVO3 (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) composites were successfully synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were confirmed that all compositions crystallized with orthorhombic LaVO3 perovskites structure without any other secondary phase impurities. The lattice parameters values decreased with increase in Co2+ dopant, due to the smaller ionic radius. High resolution scanning electron microscope (HR-SEM) images revealed that the prepared nano-composites are high crystalline with particle size distribution in 80-95 nm range. BET surface area studies revealed that the sample La0.8Co0.2VO3-delta have higher surface area than other samples, due to their smaller particle size. The samples were subjected to humidity sensing studies by solid-state electrical conductance studies. The studies revealed that La0.8Co0.2VO3-delta is a good candidate for humidity sensors with a higher S-f of 9245.68. The higher S-f of La0.8Co0.2VO3-delta is due to the larger surface area.