Chakrit Sriprachuabwong

Electrolytically Exfoliated Graphene-Loaded Flame-Made Ni-Doped SnO2 Composite Film for Acetone Sensing

In this work, flame-spray-made SnO2 nanoparticles are systematically studied by doping with 0.1-2 wt % nickel (Ni) and loading with 0.1-5 wt % electrolytically exfoliated graphene for acetone-sensing applications. The sensing films (∼12-18 μm in thickness) were prepared by a spin-coating technique on Au/Al2O3 substrates and evaluated for acetone-sensing performances at operating temperatures ranging from 150 to 350 °C in dry air. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction, transmission/scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that Ni-doped SnO2 nanostructures had a spheriodal morphology with a polycrystalline tetragonal SnO2 phase, and Ni was confirmed to form a solid solution with SnO2 lattice while graphene in the sensing film after annealing and testing still retained its high-quality nonoxidized form. Gas-sensing results showed that SnO2 sensing film with 0.1 wt % Ni-doping concentration exhibited an optimal response of 54.2 and a short response time of ∼13 s toward 200 ppm acetone at an optimal operating temperature of 350 °C. The additional loading of graphene at 5 wt % into 0.1 wt % Ni-doped SnO2 led to a drastic response enhancement to 169.7 with a very short response time of ∼5.4 s at 200 ppm acetone and 350 °C. The superior gas sensing performances of Ni-doped SnO2 nanoparticles loaded with graphene may be attributed to the large specific surface area of the composite structure, specifically the high interaction rate between acetone vapor and graphene-Ni-doped SnO2 nanoparticles interfaces and high electronic conductivity of graphene. Therefore, the 5 wt % graphene loaded 0.1 wt % Ni-doped SnO2 sensor is a promising candidate for fast, sensitive and selective detection of acetone.

Ultrasensitive NO2 Sensor Based on Ohmic Metal–Semiconductor Interfaces of Electrolytically Exfoliated Graphene/Flame-Spray-Made SnO2 Nanoparticles Composite Operating at Low Temperatures

In this work, flame-spray-made undoped SnO2 nanoparticles were loaded with 0.1-5 wt % electrolytically exfoliated graphene and systematically studied for NO2 sensing at low working temperatures. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction, transmission/scanning electron microscopy, and Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that high-quality multilayer graphene sheets with low oxygen content were widely distributed within spheriodal nanoparticles having polycrystalline tetragonal SnO2 phase. The 10-20 μm thick sensing films fabricated by spin coating on Au/Al2O3 substrates were tested toward NO2 at operating temperatures ranging from 25 to 350 °C in dry air. Gas-sensing results showed that the optimal graphene loading level of 0.5 wt % provided an ultrahigh response of 26,342 toward 5 ppm of NO2 with a short response time of 13 s and good recovery stabilization at a low optimal operating temperature of 150 °C. In addition, the optimal sensor also displayed high sensor response and relatively short response time of 171 and 7 min toward 5 ppm of NO2 at room temperature (25 °C). Furthermore, the sensors displayed very high NO2 selectivity against H2S, NH3, C2H5OH, H2, and H2O. Detailed mechanisms for the drastic NO2 response enhancement by graphene were proposed on the basis of the formation of graphene-undoped SnO2 ohmic metal-semiconductor junctions and accessible interfaces of graphene-SnO2 nanoparticles. Therefore, the electrolytically exfoliated graphene-loaded FSP-made SnO2 sensor is a highly promising candidate for fast, sensitive, and selective detection of NO2 at low operating temperatures.

High-sensitivity humidity sensor utilizing PEDOT/PSS printed quartz crystal microbalance

In this work, quartz crystal microbalance humidity sensor was fabricated by inkjet printing technique. Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly-styrene-sulfonic acid (PEDOT/PSS), one of the most widely used polymer composites, was printed on QCM electrode as sensing layer using Dimatrix material inkjet printer. The main advantage of this coating method is its high precision of solution coating with accurately controlled volume and area. The printed layer was varied from 1 to 20 layers. With 20 PEDOT/PSS printed layers, the humidity sensitivity is found increased by more than three orders of magnitude compared to uncoated QCM. In addition, the PEDOT/PSS coated QCM exhibits fast humidity detection with short response and recovery times. Thus, the PEDOT/PSS printed on the QCM electrode is an effective way to improve humidity-sensing characteristic of QCM.