Oxygenated VOC Detection Using SnO Nanoparticles with Uniformly Dispersed BiO.

BiO particles are introduced as foreign additives onto SnO nanoparticles (NPs) surfaces for the efficient detection of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs). BiO-loaded SnO materials are prepared via the impregnation method followed by calcination treatment. The abundant BiO/SnO interfaces are constructed by the uniform dispersion of BiO particles on the SnO surface. The results of oxygen temperature-programmed desorption suggest that BiO-loaded SnO samples display improved surface oxygen ions than neat-SnO NPs. As a result, the gas sensor based on 1 mol% BiO-loaded SnO (1Bi-L-SnO) composites shows significantly higher sensitivity and a faster response speed toward various oxygenated VOCs compared with SnO, especially at 200 °C and 250 °C. The results of catalytic combustion and temperature-programmed reaction measurements reveal the dominant role of adsorption and partial oxidation during ethanol combustion on SnO and 1Bi-L-SnO surfaces. In this case, the improvement in the sensing performance of the 1Bi-L-SnO sensor can be associated with the increase in surface oxygen ions at BiO/SnO interfaces. The results confirm the significant role of surface functionalization for sensing materials. The obtained outstanding sensing performance provides the potential application for the simultaneous detection of total oxygenated VOCs in practice.