E.A. Khachaturyan

Study of nanocomposite thick-film butanol vapor sensors

Gas sensing characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated with tin dioxide nanoparticles nanocomposite thick-film structures (MWCNTs/SnO2) prepared using hydrothermal synthesis, sol–gel technique and their combined process were investigated. Gas response test measurements of all studied nanocomposite structures carried out in air/target gas mixture showed that the most and at one time selective response to butanol vapor exposure in comparison to other mainly toxic and harmful gases such as acetone, toluene, formaldehyde, dimethylformamide, and others is observed for samples obtained by hydrothermal synthesis with 1:4 and 1:200 weight ratios of the nanocomposite components, respectively. These sensors are characterized by relatively short response and recovery times about 12 and 100 s, respectively, as well as low operating temperatures in the range of 150–200°C.

P1.7.10 Methanol and ethanol vapor sensitivity of MWCNT/SnO2/Ru nanocomposite structures

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully coated with tin-dioxide (SnO2) nanoparticles using both hydrothermal process and sol-gel technique under different solvent conditions. The obtained MWCNTs/SnO2 nanocomposites had the mass ratio of the components 1:4, 1:8 and 1:50, respectively. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) technique. On the base of these materials gas-sensor structures are developed. The high sensitivity to methanol and ethanol vapour as well as i-butane gas at 200 o C operation temperature have been revealed for the functionalized with Ru nanocomposite thick-film sensor structures having the ratio of the components 1:8 and 1:50. The structures with 1:4 ratio of the components are characterized by the best selectivity towards influence of methanol and ethanol vapor.