Mesoporous SnO2 Nanowires: Synthesis and Ethanol Sensing Properties

The mesoporous SnO2 nanowires composed of nanoparticles and nanopores have been successfully synthesized within the nanochannels of anodic alumina oxide templates by a facile sol-gelmethod. XRD, SEM, and HRTEM were used to characterize the synthesized mesoporous SnO2 nanowires. The sensing property of the mesoporous SnO2 nanowires in ethanol detection also has been studied. The as-prepared product displays excellent the high sensitivity, rapid response, and excellent repeatability to ethanol. The detection limit of the mesoporous SnO2 nanowires to ethanol reaches 1 ppm. The sensing mechanism of the mesoporous SnO2 nanowires has been further discussed. It is expected that the mesoporous SnO2 nanowires might become a good sensing material for promising industrial applications.