Ozone sensing properties of NbO2 thin films for health and safety applications

This work investigates the ozone sensing properties of NbO₂ thin films operating at room temperature. NbO₂ thin films have been deposited on alumina and glass substrates provide with Cu interdigitated electrodes by the Vacuum Thermal Evaporation technique. The optical properties of NbO₂ thin films were explored using CARY IE UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. The values of the optical band gap E_OPT are estimated in view of the Mott and Davis´ theory. The electrical response has been measured by exposing the sensing layers to ozone (ppb). NbO₂ films fabricated by this method have shown good sensitivity to environmentally relevant ozone concentrations.