Experimental and density functional theory investigation of Pt-loaded titanium dioxide/molybdenum disulfide nanohybrid for SO2 gas sensing

Abstract

A high-performance sulfur dioxide (SO₂) sensor based on a platinum (Pt)-loaded titanium dioxide (TiO₂)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) ternary nanocomposite is synthesized via layer-by-layer self-assembly. Various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy show the nanostructure, morphology and composition of the Pt–TiO₂/MoS₂ nanocomposite. The sensor exhibits a relatively high response value, outstanding selectivity, and good stability toward SO₂ gas. Furthermore, Materials Studio is used to establish adsorbent models to calculate the energy, density of states and charge transfer based on density functional theory. This paper indicates that the Pt–TiO₂/MoS₂ sensor has great potential for the detection of SO₂ with outstanding sensing ability.