Synthesis mechanism and gas-sensing application of nanosheet-assembled tungsten oxide microspheres

Nanosheet-assembled tungsten oxide microspheres have been synthesized using rapid sonochemistry followed by thermal treatment. Transient observation of controllable synthesis reveals that the morphological evolution of the product is highly dependent on the ultrasonication time. An assembly mechanism based on oriented attachment and reconstruction is proposed for the sonochemical formation of the nanosheet-assembled microspheres. The obtained samples possess intrinsic non-stoichiometry and a hierarchically porous nano/microstructure, which is beneficial for their utilization in sensing materials and for fast diffusion of gas molecules. The maximum response of the tungsten oxide hierarchical microspheres is 3 times higher than that of commercial nanoparticles for NO2 gas. The gas adsorption-desorption kinetics during the sensing process were mathematically simulated by a derivative method. The first-principles calculation reveals that the NO2 molecule is most likely adsorbed at the terminal O-1c site of tungsten oxide, leading to the introduction of new surface states, which are responsible for the intrinsic NO2-sensing properties.