Issue 23, 2018

APTES-functionalized thin-walled porous WO3 nanotubes for highly selective sensing of NO2 in a polluted environment

Abstract

High sensitivity and reliable selectivity are the main requirements for gas sensors to be applied in portable devices, especially for semiconducting metal oxide (SMO)-based gas sensors. However, SMO-based sensors suffer from insufficient selectivity, which limits their practical applications. In this work, a high-performance NO2 sensor based on a self-assembled monolayer-modified semiconducting metal oxide is presented. Controllable porous WO3 nanotubes with an ultrathin wall thickness are prepared through a new and simple method by using electrospun fibres as a sacrificial template followed by a facile soaking process, providing a large surface area and fast transport pathway for gas molecules. Through the introduction of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), which acts as an electron acceptor on the surface, the as-designed sensor exhibited a highly improved response compared to that based on bare WO3 nanotubes due to the specific interaction between APTES and NO2. Importantly, the detection limit of the as-prepared sensor approaches 10 ppb, which is the lowest detection limit of all WO3-based NO2 sensors to date. In addition, it shows a very fast response and recovery time with a high response value, maintaining 80% of the initial response, even in a saturated humid environment, due to the hydrophobic group of APTES. The optimized sensor was successfully used for the real-time detection of NO2 in the daytime under different air quality conditions, even in a heavily polluted environment. These results provide a model platform to achieve a simple, inexpensive sensor design with a high recognition capability.

Graphical abstract: APTES-functionalized thin-walled porous WO3 nanotubes for highly selective sensing of NO2 in a polluted environment

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Mar 2018
Accepted
11 May 2018
First published
11 May 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 10976-10989

APTES-functionalized thin-walled porous WO3 nanotubes for highly selective sensing of NO2 in a polluted environment

W. Liu, L. Xu, K. Sheng, C. Chen, X. Zhou, B. Dong, X. Bai, S. Zhang, G. Lu and H. Song, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 10976 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA02452A

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