Synthesis, electrical characterization, and gas sensing properties of molybdenum oxide nanorods

Gas sensors have been prepared by using single crystalline MoO3 nanorods. Structures 50-150 nm and up to 15 mu m in length were synthesized by template directed hydrothermal synthesis. Gas sensing tests showed responses to NO2 up to 740% and to NH3 up to 570%. Moreover, preliminary electrical characterizations were performed, as a function of temperature in 20-520 degrees C range temperature, by means of current-voltage measurements. I-V dependence studies show a linear increase in current at low voltage and a quadratic increase at higher voltages. A study of the current-temperature dependence shows that at high temperature current is thermally active and successively decreases that can be explained by taking in account a change of material morphology. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.