Highly sensitive NO gas sensors based on hexagonal SnS nanoplates operating at room temperature.

While continuously developing high-performance chemoresistive gas sensors, reducing device power consumption is not negligible. One of the most efficient ways is to enable gas sensors to work close to room temperature. In this work, we present a gas sensor based on hexagonal tin disulfide (SnS) nanoplates for sensitive and reversible NO sensing at room temperature. Two-dimensional SnS nanoplates are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method using Triton X-100 as a surfactant. The sensor exhibits a high response of 15.6 for 50 ppm NO with an experimental limit of detection of 50 ppb at room temperature. Besides, excellent linearity, outstanding selectivity, and reliable long-term stability within 40 d are also demonstrated during the experiment process. The sensing mechanism of this sensor could be explained as the physisorption and charge transfer between NO molecules and SnS nanoplates, which make it possible for the sensor to work at such a low operating temperature. Our research resulted in a SnS nanoplate-based sensor that may pave a new way for effective NO detection in the future.