Improving the gas sensing response of polyaniline via a porous carbon nanotube-based template

Tin metal was coated onto single-walled carbon nanotubes by sputtering and then thermally oxidised to form a stable tin oxide/single-walled carbon nanotubes porous template on glass substrate. Polyaniline (PANI) was coated onto this template through oxidative polymerisation. The nanocomposite was characterised by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectra and Raman spectra. The sensor response of the nanocomposite to an aromatic organic compound (AOC) was investigated in the comparison with pure PANI. The results show that, upon exposure to the AOC, the conductivity of the sensor increases and the response of the nanocomposite is much higher than that of pure PANI.