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. 2023 Apr 23;9(5):355.
doi: 10.3390/gels9050355.

Chemiresistors with In2O3 Nanostructured Sensitive Films Used for Ozone Detection at Room Temperature

Mariana Chelu  1 , Paul Chesler  1 , Cristian Hornoiu  1 , Mihai Anastasescu  1 , Jose Maria Calderon-Moreno  1 , Daiana Mitrea  1 , Costin Brasoveanu  2 , Carmen Moldovan  2 , Mariuca Gartner  1
Affiliations

Chemiresistors with In2O3 Nanostructured Sensitive Films Used for Ozone Detection at Room Temperature

Mariana Chelu et al. Gels. .

Abstract

Detection of greenhouse gases is essential because harmful gases in the air diffuse rapidly over large areas in a short period of time, causing air pollution that will induce climate change with catastrophic consequences over time. Among the materials with favorable morphologies for gas detection (nanofibers, nanorods, nanosheets), large specific surfaces, high sensitivity and low production costs, we chose nanostructured porous films of In2O3 obtained by the sol-gel method, deposited on alumina transducers, with gold (Au) interdigitated electrodes (IDE) and platinum (Pt) heating circuits. Sensitive films contained 10 deposited layers, involving intermediate and final thermal treatments to stabilize the sensitive film. The fabricated sensor was characterized using AFM, SEM, EDX and XRD. The film morphology is complex, containing fibrillar formations and some quasi-spherical conglomerates. The deposited sensitive films are rough, thus favoring gas adsorption. Ozone sensing tests were performed at different temperatures. The highest response of the ozone sensor was recorded at room temperature, considered to be the working temperature for this specific sensor.

Keywords: Au IDEs; In2O3 nanostructured films; Pt heater; ozone detection; room temperature; sol-gel.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
AFM images of the 10-layered In2O3 sensitive film deposited on Au-IDE/Alumina (alumina ceramic support with interdigitated gold electrodes) at the scale of: (a) (8 × 8) µm2; (b) (2 × 2) µm2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Top view SEM micrographs of the 10-layered In2O3 sensitive film of the fabricated sensor (having alumina wafer with Au IDEs), at different magnifications.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Top view SEM micrographs of the 10-layered In2O3 sensitive film of the fabricated sensor (having alumina wafer with Au IDEs), at different magnifications.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cross-sectional SEM micrographs of the sensor’s In2O3 sensitive film at different magnifications.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tilted view SEM micrographs of the sensor’s 10-layered In2O3 sensitive film at different magnifications, together with EDX spectra.
Figure 5
Figure 5
XRD pattern of the sensor sample.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Experimental setup used for ozone sensing measurements.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Sensor response/recovery characteristics for ozone detection at different tested concentrations and working temperatures.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Sensor sensitivity (S) to ozone at different working temperatures.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Sensor response/recovery characteristics for 3 consecutive tests with 0.08 ppm ozone in air at room temperature.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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