Preparation of Au-loaded TiO2 pecan-kernel-like and its enhanced toluene sensing performance

Pecan-kernel-like TiO2 hierarchical architectures and Au-loaded TiO2 were successfully synthesized via facile hydrothermal synthesis method and simple precipitation route. A series of material characterization methods were employed to characterize the structure, morphology of as-synthesized materials. Characterization indicate that uniform and independent pecan-kernel-like TiO2 hierarchical architectures consisted by nanorods stacking were formed, and Au nanoparticles were distributed uniformly on the surface of TiO2 materials. In addition, The gas sensing performance of the sensors based on pure TiO2 and different amounts of Au-loaded TiO2 were systematically investigated. The noble metal Au improved the catalytic efficiency which played crucial role in enhancing the performance of the gas sensor. The results indicated that the sensor with 5 wt% Au-loaded TiO2 exhibited the highest response, short response/recovery time, excellent repeatability and stability to toluene. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.