Efficient one-pot synthesis of antimony-containing mesoporous tin dioxide nanostructures for gas-sensing applications

Currently, wide-bandgap metal oxide nanomaterials with attractive chemical and physical properties are intensively used for the fabrication of chemiresistive gas sensors and other catalytic devices. However, the low electrical conductance of sensors based on wide bandgap metal oxides is an issue that limits their application in small-scale systems to read out electrical signals and the manufacturing of portable sensing devices. In this regard, combining oxide nanostructures with other elements could be an effective strategy for enhancing their electrical and sensing performances. In this work, we attempted to improve the conductivity and sensitivity of porous tin dioxide to certain gases. Herein, we report a cost-effective and simple method for synthesizing antimony-containing mesoporous tin dioxide (Sb-SnO2) under ambient pressure and temperature. The X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicate that the prepared Sb-SnO2 material is a nanocrystalline powder with a large surface area. Meanwhile, the successful incorporation of Sb into the SnO2 framework results in increased electrical conductance by at least one order of magnitude or more compared to that of pure SnO2 and other doped SnO2 materials, respectively. The structure shows a very effective sensing response to volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide. Hence, we developed an efficient method for synthesizing highly conductive oxide nanomaterials for use in chemical gas sensing devices.