Abstract
SnO2/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized from mixed ethanol and water systems and the ethanol-sensing properties of sensors based on SnO2/ZnO were investigated. The structure and morphology of the products was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The results showed that the diameter of the liked pine needle SnO2 was about 40 nm with a length about 300 nm, which are uniformly dispersed on the surface of the ZnO nanosheets. The growth process of the SnO2/ZnO nanocomposite was discussed. The results of gas sensing properties of SnO2/ZnO nanocomposite sensor showed high and quick response to ethanol vapor at 5.0 v. This sensor showed the advantages of high selectivity, strong stability, and prompt response/recovery characteristics in detecting ethanol vapor at 5.0 v.
This work has been supported by the National Nature Science Foundation (50672075), the NCET and 111 Program (B08040) of MOE, the Xi'an Science & Technology Foundation (CXY08006), the Fundamental Research Foundation (NPU-FFR-200703), and the Doctorate Foundation of NPU of China (CX200804).