Room temperature ozone sensing properties of p-type CuCrO2 nanocrystals

Delafossite-type oxide CuCrO2 nanocrystals and microcrystals were synthesized by hydrothermal and sol-gel method, respectively, and ozone sensors were prepared by deposition of the solution containing CuCrO2 samples. At room temperature, the sensors resistance decreased upon exposure to 50-200 ppm ozone. This can be explained by the gas sensing characteristics of p-type oxide semiconductor. We also compared the response features of CuCrO2 nanocrystals with CuCrO2 microcrystals, and CuCrO2 nanocrystals gave rise to better response features than CuCrO2 microcrystals. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.