Bpjd. Costello et al., A study of the catalytic and vapour-sensing properties of zinc oxide and tin dioxide in relation to 1-butanol and dimethyldisulphide, SENS ACTU-B, 61(1-3), 1999, pp. 199-207
Thick film sensors were produced from pastes of tin dioxide, zinc oxide and
a mixture of the two materials. The sensors were operated at a temperature
of 350 degrees C and their electrical responses to 1-butanol and DMDS in t
he concentration range 1-100 vpm were monitored. Thin film tin dioxide sens
ors were also fabricated by evaporating tin metal through an oxygen plasma
and the resulting sensors tested for their responses to the vapours. A numb
er of commercially available Figaro sensors were also tested against the sa
me vapours for comparison. The sensors comprising tin dioxide and zinc oxid
e combined gave the largest changes in electrical resistance when exposed t
o the test vapours. The catalytic effect of tin dioxide, zinc oxide and a c
omposite material of the two upon selected test vapours was elucidated usin
g GC-MS and H-NMR spectroscopy. The results offer some insight into the mec
hanisms by which metal oxide semiconductors catalytically break down organi
c vapours at elevated temperatures. The results also show that these mechan
isms differ in the case of tin dioxide and zinc oxide. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sc
ience S.A. All rights reserved.