Y-doped In2O3 hollow nanocubes for improved triethylamine-sensing performance

Abstract

Triethylamine is a typical volatile organic compound, which directly affects people's lives. There is high demand to find an effective method to detect triethylamine. Gas sensors based on metal oxide semiconductors with unique advantages have been widely researched. Herein, a Y-doped In₂O₃ hollow nanocube-based triethylamine gas sensor has been studied. Y-doped In₂O₃ hollow nanocubes were obtained by a simple hydrothermal approach and a subsequent annealing process. The structure, morphology and chemical constitution of the undoped In₂O₃ and the Y-doped In₂O₃ were studied by XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS, respectively. Furthermore, the sensing performances of gas sensors based on the undoped In₂O₃ and Y-doped In₂O₃ hollow nanocubes were analysed in detail. The results showed that the Y-doped In₂O₃ hollow nanocubes exhibit significantly enhanced TEA sensing performance compared to the undoped In₂O₃, including the gas response and recovery speed. In addition, the Y-doped In₂O₃ sample exhibits excellent gas selectivity, reproducibility and long-term stability. As a result, the improved TEA sensing characteristics are primarily ascribed to the formation of the hollow nanostructure and the introduction of oxygen vacancies.