Superior acetone sensor based on hetero-interface of SnSe/SnO quasi core shell nanoparticles for previewing diabetes.

To improve gas sensing performance of SnO sensor, a heterostructure constructed by SnO and SnSe is designed and synthesized via hydrothermal method and post thermal oxidation treatment. The obtained SnSe/SnO composite nanoparticles demonstrate a special core-shell structure with SnO nanograins distributed in the shell and mixed SnSe and SnO nanograins in the core. Owning to the promoted charge transfer effect invited by SnSe, the sensor based on SnSe/SnO composite nanoparticles exhibit expressively enhanced acetone sensing performance compared to the pristine SnO sensor. At the working temperature of 300 °C, the SnSe/SnO composite sensor with optimized composition exhibits superior sensing property towards acetone, including high response (10.77-100 ppm), low theoretical limit of detection (0.354 ppm), high selectivity and good reproducibility. Moreover, the sensor shows a satisfactory sensing performance in trace acetone gas detection under high humidity condition (relative humidity: 70-90%), making it a promising candidate to constructing exhaled breath sensors for acetone detection.