Low-temperature in-situ growth of SnO2 nanosheets and its high triethylamine sensing response by constructing Au-loaded ZnO/SnO2 heterostructure

In this report, uniform SnO2 nanosheets (NSs) have been in-situ grew on the surface of Al2O3 tubes via a cost-efficient hydrothermal synthesis at low temperature. The nanostructures of ZnO/SnO2 were prepared by employing pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Furthermore, Au surface modification with DC-sputtering process is used to improve the sensitivity of ZnO/SnO2 NSs sensor to TEA gas. The Au@ZnO/SnO2 NSs exhibited high response (S = 115) to 100 ppm trimethylamine (TEA) gas at 300 degrees C, which was about 20 times higher than that of the pristine SnO2 NSs. The enhanced sensing properties of Au@ZnO/SnO2 NSs sensor are discussed from the points of Au@ZnO Schottky contact and ZnO/SnO2 n-n heterojunction on the basic of depletion layer model. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.