Acetone detection properties of single crystalline tungsten oxide plates synthesized by hydrothermal method using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide supermolecular template

Single crystalline tungsten oxide plates were prepared by hydrothermal method using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) supermolecular template. The phase and the morphology of the resulting material were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. Indirect-heating sensors using single crystalline WO3 plates as sensitive materials were fabricated on an alumina tube with Au electrodes and platinum wires. The as-fabricated sensor based on WO3 plates showed high response, fast response and recovery toward acetone gas. Compared with the sensor fabricated with WO3 particles prepared by a surfactant-mediated method, the results show that WO3 plates sensor has about 4 times increase in response and good dynamic response.