Novel deposition techniques for metal oxide: Prospects for gas sensing

With the growing need for high performance gas sensors, a variety of preparation methods have been introduced and investigated. In the present contribution, the focus is on novel means for preparing metal oxide gas sensor devices. First, the key gas sensor concepts are reviewed as well as the conventional deposition techniques widely used for thick and thin film deposition of metal oxides such as screen-printing and chemical and physical vapour deposition. This is followed by a review and examination of innovative deposition techniques developed within the past several years, focusing on methods with direct-write features as well as techniques offering precise control of micro- and nano-structural features of the deposited materials.