Core–shell α–Fe2O3@SnO2/Au hybrid structures and their enhanced gas sensing properties

Abstract

Hybrid nanostructures with controlled morphology and tunable compositions are of vital significance to both fundamental studies and practical applications. A novel core–shell heterostructure of α-Fe₂O₃@SnO₂/Au ternary hybrid nanospindles has been successfully fabricated, which were composed of α-Fe₂O₃ nanospindles as the cores and Au-decorated SnO₂ coatings as the shells. The obtained core-shell structures have been characterized by means of XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS. By virtue of their special architectures and multiple compositions, the α-Fe₂O₃@SnO₂/Au hybrid structures demonstrated enhanced gas sensing performances such as higher sensitivity and faster response-recovery, in comparison to pristine α-Fe₂O₃ nanospindles. This work proposes an example for the design of complex nanostructures with multiple functional compositions for high performance gas sensors.