An Au clusters related spill-over sensitization mechanism in SnO(2)-based gas sensors identified by operando HERFD-XAS, work function changes, DC resistance and catalytic conversion studies

The role of Au additives in SnO(2)-based thick film gas sensors was investigated by a combination of operando investigation techniques, namely spectroscopic high energy resolved fluorescence detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy (HERFD-XAS) and simultaneous DC resistance and work function change measurements. The results have shown that the Au is present in the form of small metallic particles at the surface of the host metal oxide without changing its bulk or surface electronic properties. The sensitization effect of Au can therefore be attributed to the "spill-over effect", meaning that the Au particles enrich the surface of the active metal oxide with oxygen species which consequently react with reducing gases such as CO and H(2). This is in contrast to the effect of Pd and Pt promoters which were found to be distributed at an atomic level on the surface and in the bulk of the supporting sensing material and therefore have a tremendous effect on its bulk and surface electronic properties.     

Interaction of water with titania: implications for high-temperature gas sensing

High-temperature gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides show potential for optimization of combustion processes, resulting in efficient energy use and minimization of emissions. Such metal oxides can function as gas sensors because of the reaction of the sensing gas (e.g., CO) with ionosorbed oxygen species on the oxide surface with the resulting increase in conductivity. A limitation of metal oxide sensors is their difficulty of distinguishing between different gases. Designing selectivity into sensors necessitates a better understanding of the chemistry of gas-solid interactions at high temperatures. In this paper, we have used in situ infrared spectroscopy to monitor the dehydration of a hydrated anatase surface up to 600 degrees C and also to examine the hydration/dehydration of anatase held at 400 degrees C. When the O-H stretching region (3000-3800 cm(-1)) was primarily focused on, it was found that water loss from the titania surface proceeded at lower temperatures (<200 degrees C) through desorption, whereas at higher temperatures, water dissociation to terminal (approximately 3710 cm(-1)) and bridged (approximately 3660 cm(-1)) hydroxyl groups was noted. With a further increase in temperature to 600 degrees C, the bridged hydroxyl groups disappeared faster than the terminal ones. The electrical resistance of anatase at 600 degrees C was measured in the presence of moist gas streams and resulted in an increase in conductivity in the presence of water. In situ vibrational spectroscopy indicated a temporal correlation between the appearance of the bridging hydroxyl group and the change in electrical resistance. Several possible mechanisms are discussed. The chemical reaction of water with anatase at high temperatures necessitates that water be removed from the gas stream to avoid interference. A strategy involving the use of a hydrophobic microporous filter that can reject water and let gases such as CO pass unimpeded is examined. Successful use of such a concept has been demonstrated with a silicalite filter using moist CO gas streams.     

Macroporous WO3 thin films active in NH3 sensing: role of the hosted Cr isolated centers and Pt nanoclusters

Macroporous WO(3) films with inverted opal structure were synthesized by one-step procedure, which involves the self-assembly of the spherical templating agents and the simultaneous sol-gel condensation of the semiconductor alkoxide precursor. Transition metal doping, aimed to enhance the WO(3) electrical response, was carried out by including Cr(III) and Pt(IV) centers in the oxide matrix. It turned out that Cr remains as homogeneously dispersed Cr(III) centers inside the WO(3) host, while Pt undergoes reduction and aggregation to form nanoclusters located at the oxide surface. Upon interaction with NH(3), the electrical conductivity of transition metal doped-WO(3) increases, especially in the presence of Pt dopant, resulting in outstanding sensing properties (S = 110 ± 15 at T = 225 °C and [NH(3)] = 74 ppm). A mechanism was suggested to explain the excellent electrical response of Pt-doped films with respect to the Cr-doped ones. This associates the easy chemisorption of ammonia on the WO(3) nanocrystals, promoted by the inverted opal structure, with the catalytic action exerted by the surface Pt nanoclusters on the N-H bond dissociation. The overall results indicate that in Pt-doped WO(3) films the effects of the macroporosity positively combine with the electrical sensitization promoted by the metal nanoclusters, thus providing very lightweight materials which display high functionality even at relatively low temperatures. We expect that this synergistic effect can be exploited to realize other functional hierarchical metal oxide structures to be used as gas sensors or catalysts.     

Understanding the synergistic catalytic effect between La(2)O(3) and CaO for the CH(4) lean De-NO(x) reaction: kinetic and mechanistic studies

Doping of La(2)O(3) crystallites with Ca(2+) ions significantly enhances the intrinsic rate of NO reduction by CH(4) in the presence of 5% O(2) at 550 degrees C compared to pure La(2)O(3) and CaO solids, while the opposite is true after doping of CaO with La(3+) ions. It was found that the 5 wt % La(2)O(3)-95 wt % CaO system has one of the highest intrinsic site reactivities (TOF = 8.5 x 10(-3) s(-1)) reported at 550 degrees C for the NO/CH(4)/O(2) reaction among metal oxide surfaces. The doping process occurred after first dispersing La(2)O(3) and CaO crystallites in deionized water heated to 60 degrees C for 90 min, while the dried material was then ground and heated slowly in air to 800 degrees C and kept at this temperature for 5 h. The doping process had the effect of creating surface oxygen vacant sites (F-type defects) in the oxide lattices the concentration of which is a function of the wt % La(2)O(3) used in the mixed oxide system as revealed by photoluminescence and O(2) chemisorption studies. According to DRIFTS (15)NO transient isotopic experiments (SSITKA), oxygen vacant sites in Ca(2+)-doped La(2)O(3) promote the formation of a more active chemisorbed NO(x) species (NO(2)(-)) that contributes to the enhancement of reaction rate as compared to pure lanthana, calcium oxide, and La(3+)-doped CaO. These results were supported by the kinetic orders of the reaction with respect to NO and O(2) obtained as a function of wt % La(2)O(3) content in the mixed oxide system. Carbon dioxide (a reaction product) competes for the same oxygen vacant sites to form stable adsorbed carbonate-like species, thus lowering the reduction rate of NO. The dependence of the reaction TOF on the wt % La(2)O(3) loading at 550 degrees C was found to follow the trend of the dependence of photoluminescence intensity on the wt % La(2)O(3) content in the La(2)O(3)-CaO oxide system.     

Oxygen density dominated gas sensing mechanism originated from CO adsorption on the hexagonal WO3 (001) surface

Background oxygen play important role in the detection of gases on metal oxide surfaces. In this work, a new mechanism dominated by oxygen density has been proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation of CO adsorption on the oxygen pre-absorbed and oxygen deficient hexagonal WO₃ (h-WO₃) (001) surface. Taking clean WO-terminated h-WO₃ (001) surface as the datum, we can define the O- and WO-terminated h-WO₃ (001) surfaces to be situations with surface oxygen density (denoted as d_O) of 1 and 0, respectively. And the oxygen density will be positive (1 > d_O > 0) for oxygen absorbed surfaces and negative (0 > d_O > ?1) for oxygen vacancy presented surfaces. More importantly, environmental oxygen concentration can be reflected directly by surface oxygen density. A positive correlation between environmental oxygen concentration (surface oxygen density) and sensing ability (charge transfer number) can be constructed based on the data of CO sensing on h-WO₃ (001) surfaces (Zhao et al., 2013; Tian et al., 2014). And these ideas obtained for CO on h-WO₃ can also be generalized to other gases and materials. The new proposed oxygen density dominated gas sensing mechanism, combined the two existing models of surface absorbed oxygen and oxygen vacancy together by the use of one physical quantity of oxygen density, will simplify the understanding of the effect of environmental oxygen on gas sensing largely. And the new findings here will provide substantial chances for controllable sensing by surface tuning.     

The surface and materials science of tin oxide

The study of tin oxide is motivated by its applications as a solid state gas sensor material, oxidation catalyst, and transparent conductor. This review describes the physical and chemical properties that make tin oxide a suitable material for these purposes. The emphasis is on surface science studies of single crystal surfaces, but selected studies on powder and polycrystalline films are also incorporated in order to provide connecting points between surface science studies with the broader field of materials science of tin oxide. The key for understanding many aspects of SnO₂ surface properties is the dual valency of Sn. The dual valency facilitates a reversible transformation of the surface composition from stoichiometric surfaces with Sn⁴⁺ surface cations into a reduced surface with Sn²⁺ surface cations depending on the oxygen chemical potential of the system. Reduction of the surface modifies the surface electronic structure by formation of Sn 5s derived surface states that lie deep within the band gap and also cause a lowering of the work function. The gas sensing mechanism appears, however, only to be indirectly influenced by the surface composition of SnO₂. Critical for triggering a gas response are not the lattice oxygen concentration but chemisorbed (or ionosorbed) oxygen and other molecules with a net electric charge. Band bending induced by charged molecules cause the increase or decrease in surface conductivity responsible for the gas response signal. In most applications tin oxide is modified by additives to either increase the charge carrier concentration by donor atoms, or to increase the gas sensitivity or the catalytic activity by metal additives. Some of the basic concepts by which additives modify the gas sensing and catalytic properties of SnO₂ are discussed and the few surface science studies of doped SnO₂ are reviewed. Epitaxial SnO₂ films may facilitate the surface science studies of doped films in the future. To this end film growth on titania, alumina, and Pt(1 1 1) is reviewed. Thin films on alumina also make promising test systems for probing gas sensing behavior. Molecular adsorption and reaction studies on SnO₂ surfaces have been hampered by the challenges of preparing well-characterized surfaces. Nevertheless some experimental and theoretical studies have been performed and are reviewed. Of particular interest in these studies was the influence of the surface composition on its chemical properties. Finally, the variety of recently synthesized tin oxide nanoscopic materials is summarized.     

Nitrogen monoxide storage and sensing applications of transition metal–doped boron nitride nanotubes: a DFT investigation

The structural properties, electronic properties, and adsorption abilities for nitrogen monoxide (NO) molecule adsorption on pristine and transition metal (TM = V, Cr, Mn, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ta, W, and Re) doping on B or N site of armchair (5,5) single-walled boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) were investigated using the density functional theory method. The binding energies of TM-doped BNNTs reveal that the Mo atom doping exhibits the strongest binding ability with BNNT. In addition, the NO molecule weakly interacts with the pristine BNNT, whereas it has a strong adsorption ability on TM-doped BNNTs. The increase in the adsorption ability of NO molecule onto the TM-doped BNNTs is due to the geometrical deformation on TM doping site and the charge transfer between TM-doped BNNTs and NO molecule. Moreover, a significant decrease in energy gap of the BNNT after TM doping is expected to be an available strategy for improving its electrical conductivity. These observations suggest that NO adsorption and sensing ability of BNNT could be greatly improved by introducing appropriate TM dopant. Therefore, TM-doped BNNTs may be a useful guidance to be storage and sensing materials for the detection of NO molecule.

     

Surface studies of gas sensing metal oxides

The relation of surface science studies of single crystal metal oxides to gas sensing applications is reviewed. Most metal oxide gas sensors are used to detect oxidizing or reducing gases and therefore this article focuses on surface reduction processes and the interaction of oxygen with these surfaces. The systems that are discussed are: (i) the oxygen vacancy formation on the surface of the ion conductor CeO(2)(111); (ii) interaction of oxygen with TiO(2) (both adsorption processes and the incorporation of oxygen into the TiO(2)(110) lattice are discussed); (iii) the varying surface composition of SnO(2)(101) and its consequence for the adsorption of water; and (iv) Cu modified ZnO(0001)-Zn surfaces and its interaction with oxygen. These examples are chosen to give a comprehensive overview of surface science studies of different kinds of gas sensing materials and to illustrate the potential that surface science studies have to give fundamental insight into gas sensing phenomena.     

Synthesis,Design and Electrochemical Properties of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) Films Built of Bis(Pyrrolyl)Fluorene

The synthesis, characterization, electropolymerization, electrical and sensing properties of LB films of mono‐ and dihexadecyl‐bis(pyrrolyl)fluorene derivatives are reported. Different responses to different gases at various concentrations obtained for mono‐ and disubstituted derivatives of bis(pyrrolyl)fluorene make these materials a very good candidates for elements of gas sensing devices of the different type of an “artificial nose” or a neuronic network.     

Grain shape influence on semiconducting metal oxide based gas sensor performance: modeling versus experiment

A model for sensing with semiconducting metal oxide (SMOX)-based gas sensors was developed which takes the effect of the shape of the grains in the sensing layers into account. Its validity is limited to materials in which the grains of the SMOX sensing layer are large enough to have an undepleted bulk region (large grains). This means that in all experimental conditions, the SMOX properties ensure that the influence of surface phenomena is not extended to the whole grain. The model takes the surface chemistry and its impact on the electrical properties of the sensing material into consideration. In this way, it relates the sensor signal—defined as the relative change of the sensor’s conductance—directly to the concentration of the target gas and also exhibits meaningful chemical parameters, such as the type of reactive oxygen species, the reaction constants, and the concentration of adsorption sites. The validity of the model is confirmed experimentally by applying it to data gathered by measuring homemade sensors in relevant conditions.     

Design of Multi-Metallic-Based Electrocatalysts for Enhanced Water Oxidation

Electrochemical water splitting by renewable energy resources is an efficient and green approach for hydrogen gas production. However, the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) largely impedes the industrial application due to its sluggish four-electron-transition kinetics. Although various materials have been developed to accelerate the OER rate, still some issues should be addressed to meet the industrial demand: (i) considerable 200–300 mV overpotential as extra onset energy input, (ii) limited survival and performance in acidic electrolyte for the majority of oxide/hydroxide composite materials, (iii) unsatisfying long-term durability and (iv) the need for facile and scalable preparation methods. Here, we emphasize on multi-metallic composites with enhanced OER activity based on both precious and nonprecious elements that outperform the unary and binary composites. The regulation effect from multi-metal incorporation is also summarized systematically: (i) introducing foreign metal atoms to the host material boosts the physical properties such as conductivity, surface area, defect density, morphology, wettability, etc., (ii) metal doping can synergistically regulate the electronic features of the host material, e. g. oxygen vacancy, e_g orbit filling, coordinative number and covalence state, which can optimize the absorption/desorption energy of the M−O intermediate, (iii) chaotic impact from the added atoms twists the catalyst lattice into a more aggressive and higher energy state, which is more feasible to transform to an active intermediate with lower required energy supply. This review aims to provide a practical approach to further improve the OER performance via multi-metallic-based catalysts.     

Gas Sensing Properties of In2O3and Au-doped In2O3Films for Detecting Carbon Monoxide in Air

Catalytic and sensing properties of several metal oxides in the reaction of CO oxidation and in the sensor detection of CO in air have been studied and compared to each other. Indium oxide has been found to be the most sensitive and possessing a relatively low catalytic activity in the oxidation of CO. Possible reasons for the high activity of the indium oxide sensor matrix are discussed. The promoting effect of Au and Pd doping of In₂O₃in the detection of CO in air has been studied, and a mechanism explaining the enhanced sensor response of Au-doped In₂O₃has been proposed. A change in humidity has no significant effect on the sensor response of Au-doped In₂O₃in the detection of CO in air.     

XPS study of the oxidation of nanosize Ni/Si(100) films

The XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) study of nickel oxide nanolayers obtained by magnetron sputtering of the metal and its subsequent oxidation in air at different temperatures (400°C and 1000°C) was performed. Silicon(100) was used as a substrate. Surface of the initial Ni/Si structure was shown to contain not only Ni metal, but also the NiO oxide. Annealing at 400°C results in a complete oxidation of the metal film. At a high-temperature annealing (1000°C), nickel interacts both with oxygen and silicon substrate to form NiSi silicide and a composite Ni-Si-O phase in transition layer. Electronconductivity of NiO films is determined by intercrystallite barriers. Activation energies of film electroconductivity in model gases (O₂, Ar, H₂) were found.     

(Sn,Sb)O2-x基纳米结构厚膜材料气敏特性及机理

对采用水热合成技术所形成的纳米(Sn,Sb)O2 x晶粒结构、厚膜材料的气敏特性及其机理进行了研究,并采用XRD、TEM手段对纳米尺度的（Sn、Sb)O2 x晶粒的结构与表面效应及晶粒形态进行了表征.结果表明,当掺杂Sb5＋的浓度（摩尔分数xSb5＋)为（2.9～5.8)×10－6时,（Sn、Sb)O2 x纳米晶粒表面的电子缺陷浓度增大,增强了对气体的吸附能力,从而提高了对可燃性气体的灵敏度.同时可使晶粒保持短柱状的形态特征,对其灵敏度有一定的控制作用.     

Influence of Ru doping on the structure, defect chemistry, magnetic interaction, and carrier motion of the La(1-x)Na(x)MnO(3+delta) manganite

In this work, we report a structural, electrical, and magnetic characterization of the La(1-x)Na(x)Mn(1-y)Ru(y)O(3+delta) (LNMRO) system with x = 0.05 and 0.15 and y = 0, 0.05, and 0.15, also comprising an investigation of the role of the oxygen content on the related redox properties. The experimental investigation has been realized with the aid of X-ray powder diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, thermogravimetry, electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements, and electron paramagnetic resonance. We demonstrate that the effect of ruthenium doping on the studied LNMRO compounds is not only directly related to the Ru/Mn substitution and to the Ru oxidation state but also indirectly connected to the oxygen content in the sample. Our data show that ruthenium addition can "improve" electrical and magnetic properties of nonoptimally (low) cation-doped manganites, causing an increase of the T(C) value and the insurgence of magnetoresistance effect, as observed for the x = 0.05 and y = 0.05 sample (MR congruent with 60% at 7 T and at approximately 260 K).     

Preparation and gas-sensing properties of pitch-based carbon fiber prepared using a melt-electrospinning method

Pitch-based carbon fibers (PCFs) were fabricated using a melt-electrospinning method and used as a gas sensor electrode for nitric oxide (NO). The PCFs were modified through different heat-treatment temperatures (1,000, 1,650, and 2,300 °C) and activation conditions (2, 4, and 6 M KOH solutions) to investigate the effect of these processes on the structure and surface functionalities of the resultant fiber samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, elemental analyzer, Raman spectroscopy, and pore analysis techniques were then employed to characterize the prepared samples. As a result of these modifications, the porosity and electrical conductivity of the prepared PCFs increased, which resulted in enlarged gas adsorption sites and an improved electron transfer. The improved porosity of the PCFs was attributed to the chemical activation process, whereas the enhanced electrical conductivity was also attributed to higher heat-treatment temperature. The sensing ability of the PCFs for NO-gas was thus significantly improved based on the effects of the chemical activation and higher heat-treatment temperatures. The performance of these PCFs as an NO-gas sensor system suggests promising application of carbon fibers as a novel and highly efficient NO-gas sensing material.     

Low-temperature reduction of NO(2) on oxidized Mo(110)

The reactions of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) were investigated on oxidized Mo(110) containing both chemisorbed oxygen and a thin film oxide. NO(2) reacts on both oxidized Mo(110) surfaces via a combination of reversible adsorption and reduction to NO, N(2), and trace amounts of N(2)O below 200 K. On the surface containing chemisorbed O, there is some complete dissociation of NO(2) to yield N(a) and O(a). N(2) forms at high temperatures through atom combination. On both surfaces, NO is the predominant product of NO(2) reduction. However, the chemisorbed layer which has a low oxidation state, and hence a greater capacity to accept oxygen, more effectively reduces NO(2). The selectivity for N(2) formation over N(2)O is greater for NO(2) as compared with NO on both surfaces studied. The selectivity changes are largely attributed to an increase in the concentration of Mo=O species and a change in the distribution of oxygen on the surface. Notably, more oxygen, in particular Mo=O moieties, is deposited by NO(2) reaction than by O(2) reaction, indicating that NO(2) is a stronger oxidant. The fact that there are several N-containing species on the surface at low temperatures may also affect the product distribution. On both surfaces, N(2)O(4), NO(2), and NO are identified by infrared spectroscopy upon adsorption at 100 K. All N(2)O(4) desorbs by 200 K, leaving only NO(2) and NO on the surface. Infrared spectroscopy of NO(2) on (18)O-labeled surfaces provides evidence for oxygen transfer or exchange between different types of sites even at low temperatures.     

Electronic Oxide–Metal Strong Interaction (EOMSI)

Strong metal–support interaction of supported metal catalysts is an important concept to describe the effect of metal–support interactions on the structures and catalytic performances of supported metal particles. By using an example of CeO_x adlayers supported on Ag nanocrystals, herein a concept of electronic oxide–metal strong interaction (EOMSI) is put forward; this interaction significantly affects the electronic structures of oxide adlayers through metal-to-oxide charge transfer. The EOMSI can stabilize oxide adlayers in a low oxidation state under ambient conditions, which individually are not stable; moreover, the oxide adlayers experiencing the EOMSI are resistant to high-temperature oxidation in air to a certain extent. Such an EOMSI concept helps to generalize the strong influence of oxide–metal interactions on the structures and catalytic performance of oxide/metal inverse catalysts, which have been attracting increasing attention.     

GaAs(100)表面氧化的XPS研究

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）was used to study two different oxidation treatments on the GaAs（100）surface———the thermal oxidation in the air,and the ultraviolet-light oxidation in the UV-ozone. A series of properties including the oxide composition,chemical states,the surface Ga/As atomic ratio and the thickness of the oxide layer grown on GaAs surface were compared. The results indicate that the oxide composition,the surface Ga / As atomic ratio and the thickness of the oxide layer oxide on GaAs surface are different for different oxidation methods. The oxides on GaAs surface grown by thermal oxidation in the air are composed of Ga2O3,As2O5,As2O3 and elemental As;and the Ga/As atomic ratio is drifted off the stoichiometry far away. The Ga/As atomic ratio of oxide layer on GaAs surface is increases with the thickness of oxide. However,the oxides on GaAs surface grown by UV-ozone are made up of only Ga2O3 and As2O3,As2O5 and elemental As are not detected,the Ga/As atomic ratio is close to unity. The thickness of oxide layer on GaAs can be controlled by the UV exposing time. The mechanism of oxidation of GaAs is also discussed. The UV-light radiation not only causes the oxygen molecular excited forming atomic oxygen,but also induces the valence electrons of the GaAs excited from the valence band,and then the reactivity of Ga and As atom increase,and they can easily react with the excited atomic oxygen at the same reactive velocity.     

CO-sensing properties of undoped and doped tin oxide thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation

Undoped thin films of tin oxide and those doped with indium oxide and nickel oxides were deposited by electron beam evaporation. The effects of the film thickness and preparation conditions (films prepared with or without the presence of oxygen environment during deposition) on the optical and carbon monoxide sensing properties of the films were studied. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques. All the films were found to be amorphous. It was found that the sensitivity of the films to CO increased with the thickness and the porosity of the films. It was found that their selectivity to CO gas relative to CO₂ and SO₂ gases could be improved upon doping the films with indium (or nickel) oxide.