Effect of particle size and dopant on properties of SnO2-based gas sensors

The effect of composition, microstructure, and defect chemistry on sensing performance of gas sensors based on CuO-doped SnO2 is investigated using sol–gel derived nano-sized powders (about 20 nm). The particle size of copper oxide doped tin oxide is varied by annealing at different temperatures and a significant grain growth is observed at temperatures above 1000°C due to the liquid phase sintering effect of copper oxide. The reduction of particle size to nanometers, or to the dimension comparable to the thickness of charge depletion layer, leads to a dramatic improvement in sensitivity and speed of response. It appears that the substitution of Sn by Cu in the cassiterite structure increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies and decreases the concentration of free electrons. In particular, the existence of cuprous ions (Cu+), due to partial reduction of Cu2+ during sintering, plays an important role in enhancing the sensor response to nitric oxide (NO) and CO2.