Synthesis and enhanced ethanol sensing performance of nanostructured Sr doped SnO2 thick film sensor

In the present paper we have synthesized pristine and Sr doped SnO2 in order to prepare a selective ethanol sensor with rapid response-recovery time and good repeatability. Pristine as well as Sr (2, 4 and 6 mol%) doped SnO2 nanostructured powder was synthesized by using a facile co-precipitation method. The samples were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, HR-TEM, SAED, FEG-SEM, SEM-EDAX, XPS, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy techniques. The gas response performance of sensor towards ethanol, acetone, liquid petroleum gas and ammonia has been carried out. The results demonstrate that Sr doping in SnO2 systematically decreases crystallite size, increases the porosity and hence enhances the gas response properties of pristine SnO2 viz. lower operating temperature, higher ethanol response and better selectivity towards ethanol. The response and recovery time for 4 mol% Sr doped SnO2 thick film sensor at the operating temperature of 300 A degrees C were 2 and 7 s, respectively.