AP0976 Characterization of Nanocomposites SnO2:Cu for Gas Sensing Applications

Abstract

The paper discusses the importance of improving and the development of gas sensors, with a special focus on tin oxide (SnO₂) particles doped with copper NPs  to detect NO₂ gas at different temperatures and at a concentration of 1ppm. Thermo chemical spraying technique (CSP) is simple and convenient for the synthesis of SnO₂ and Cu nanomaterials. The compositional, morphological and optical properties of SnO₂ nanofilms were revealed using XRD, FE-SEM and UV-visible characterization. The material structure was attributed to the tetragonal crystal configurations of SnO₂ with enhanced Cu doping. Typical dimensions of SnO₂ The nanocrystals measured between 10-14 nm . Absorbance diminishes as the concentration of doped copper in the SnO₂ lattice increases. An elevation in the optical energy gap values was noted when the concentration rose from 3.02 to 3.28 eV. An increase in the sensitivity values ​​to nitrogen dioxide gas was reported for the films prepared from pure SnO₂ and incorporated with copper nanoparticles at weight ratios of 2.4%, where the sensitivity increased with increasing the operating temperature and doping ratios. Three temperatures (50, 100, 150) °C were selected. For the pure SnO₂ sample, the sensitivity was equal to 1.8%, the highest degree previously reported, then the percentage increased upon adding copper NPs to 105% at 150 °C.