Effect of palladium on gas sensing properties of Sn(Sb2O3)O-2 nanoparticles synthesized by sonochemical processing at room temperature

摘要

Palladium catalyzed Sn(Sb2O3)O-2 nanoparticles prepared by the sonication assisted method exhibited a Pd dependent selectivity to butane as well as methane. Attempts have been made to correlate powder properties such as surface area, particle size, crystallite size and rate of agglomeration with sensor properties like resistance, percent sensitivity, response and recovery times. Sample with 3 wt% Pd exhibited the lowest rate of agglomeration amongst the prepared samples and around 70% sensitivity towards butane at 400 degrees C operating temperature. 5 wt% Pd loaded sample, on the other hand, exhibited about 98% methane sensitivity at 350 degrees C operating temperature. Results confirmed that either by varying the amount of palladium or by changing the operating temperature, it was possible to tune the selective sensitivity of the fabricated sensors towards either butane or methane. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.