Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2014, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (4): 781-788.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201402191

• PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Preparation, Characterization and Gas Sensing Mechanism of ZnO-Doped SnO2 Nanofibers

TANG Wei1, WANG Jing1, YAO Peng-Jun1,2, DU Hai-Ying1,3, SUN Yan-Hui1,3   

  1. 1 School of Electronic Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, Liaoning Province, P. R. China;
    2 School of Educational Technology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110000, P. R. China;
    3 College of Electromechanical & Information Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600, Liaoning Province, P. R. China
  • Received:2014-01-13 Revised:2014-02-18 Published:2014-03-31
  • Contact: WANG Jing E-mail:wangjing@dlut.edu.cn
  • Supported by:

    The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61176068, 61131004, 61001054).

Abstract:

SnO2 nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning, using SnCl2 ·2H2O as the raw material. The influences of ZnO doping on the morphologies, structures, and compositions of the SnO2 nanofibers were studied by introducing different amounts of ZnO into the SnO2. The crystallography and microstructures of the synthesized SnO2/ZnO composite nanofibers with different molar ratios of Sn to Zn were investigated using thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The obtained SnO2/ZnO composite nanofibers with different ZnO contents had hollow hierarchical structures composed of nanocrystals. Different amounts of ZnO gave different structures. The characterization results showed that the introduction of ZnO into SnO2 played an important role in the SnO2 nanofiber structure. The gas sensing properties of sensors based on different ZnO-doped SnO2 nanofibers were tested. The results indicated that the methanol-sensing performance of the sensor containing SnO2/ZnO in a molar ratio of 1:1 was better than those of the others. The sensing mechanisms of ZnO-doped SnO2 nanofibers were examined in detail. Possible reasons for the enhanced SnO2 nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning, using SnCl2 ?2H2O as the raw material. The influences of ZnO doping on the morphologies, structures, and compositions of the SnO2 nanofibers were studied by introducing different amounts of ZnO into the SnO2. The crystallography and microstructures of the synthesized SnO2/ZnO composite nanofibers with different molar ratios of Sn to Zn were investigated using thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The obtained SnO2/ZnO composite nanofibers with different ZnO contents had hollow hierarchical structures composed of nanocrystals. Different amounts of ZnO gave different structures. The characterization results showed that the introduction of ZnO into SnO2 played an important role in the SnO2 nanofiber structure. The gas sensing properties of sensors based on different ZnO-doped SnO2 nanofibers were tested. The results indicated that the methanol-sensing performance of the sensor containing SnO2/ZnO in a molar ratio of 1:1 was better than those of the others. The sensing mechanisms of ZnO-doped SnO2 nanofibers were examined in detail. Possible reasons for the enhanced

Key words: Electrospinning, Composite nanofiber, Gas sensor, Methanol, Heterojunction