Density functional theory study of the interaction of H2 with pure and Ti-doped WO3 (002) surfaces

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are conducted to explore the interaction of H₂ with pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces. Four top adsorption models of H₂ on pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces are investigated respectively, they are adsorption on bridging oxygen O_1c, absorption on plane oxygen O_2c, absorption on 5-fold W_5c (Ti), and absorption on 6-fold W_6c. The most stable and H₂ possible adsorption structure in the pure surface is H-end oriented to the surface plane oxygen O_2c site, while the favourable adsorption sites for H₂ in a Ti-doped surface is not only an O_2c site but also a W_6c site. The adsorption energy, the Fermi energy level E_F, and the electronic population are investigated and the H₂-sensing mechanism of a pure-doped WO₃ (002) surface is revealed theoretically: the theoretical results are in good accordance with our existing experimental results. By comparing the above three terms, it is found that Ti doping can obviously enhance the adsorption of H₂. It can be predicted that the method of Ti-doped into a WO₃ thin film is an effective way to improve WO₃ sensor sensitivity to H₂ gas.     

The light-enhanced NO₂ sensing properties of porous silicon gas sensors at room temperature

The NO2 gas sensing behavior of porous silicon(PS) is studied at room temperature with and without ultraviolet(UV) light radiation.The PS layer is fabricated by electrochemical etching in an HF-based solution on a p +-type silicon substrate.Then,Pt electrodes are deposited on the surface of the PS to obtain the PS gas sensor.The NO2 sensing properties of the PS with different porosities are investigated under UV light radiation at room temperature.The measurement results show that the PS gas sensor has a much higher response sensitivity and faster response-recovery characteristics than NO2 under the illumination.The sensitivity of the PS sample with the largest porosity to 1 ppm NO2 is 9.9 with UV light radiation,while it is 2.4 without UV light radiation.We find that the ability to absorb UV light is enhanced with the increase in porosity.The PS sample with the highest porosity has a larger change than the other samples.Therefore,the effect of UV radiation on the NO2 sensing properties of PS is closely related to the porosity.     

Ab-initio density functional theory study of a WO3 NH3-sensing mechanism

WO 3 bulk and various surfaces are studied by an ab-initio density functional theory technique.The band structures and electronic density states of WO 3 bulk are investigated.The surface energies of different WO 3 surfaces are compared and then the (002) surface with minimum energy is computed for its NH 3 sensing mechanism which explains the results in the experiments.Three adsorption sites are considered.According to the comparisons of the energy and the charge change between before and after adsorption in the optimal adsorption site O 1c,the NH 3 sensing mechanism is obtained.     

The light-enhanced NO2 sensing properties of porous silicon gas sensors at room temperature

The NO2 gas sensing behavior of porous silicon（PS） is studied at room temperature with and without ultraviolet（UV） light radiation.The PS layer is fabricated by electrochemical etching in an HF-based solution on a p ＋-type silicon substrate.Then,Pt electrodes are deposited on the surface of the PS to obtain the PS gas sensor.The NO2 sensing properties of the PS with different porosities are investigated under UV light radiation at room temperature.The measurement results show that the PS gas sensor has a much higher response sensitivity and faster response-recovery characteristics than NO2 under the illumination.The sensitivity of the PS sample with the largest porosity to 1 ppm NO2 is 9.9 with UV light radiation,while it is 2.4 without UV light radiation.We find that the ability to absorb UV light is enhanced with the increase in porosity.The PS sample with the highest porosity has a larger change than the other samples.Therefore,the effect of UV radiation on the NO2 sensing properties of PS is closely related to the porosity.     

Density functional theory study of NO2-sensing mechanisms of pure and Ti-dopedWO3 （002） surfaces

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are employed to explore the NO₂-sensing mechanisms of pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces. When Ti is doped into the WO₃ surface, two substitution models are considered: substitution of Ti for W_6c and substitution of Ti for W_5c. The results reveal that substitution of Ti for 5-fold W forms a stable doping structure, and doping induces some new electronic states in the band gap, which may lead to changes in the surface properties. Four top adsorption models of NO₂ on pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces are investigated: adsorptions on 5-fold W (Ti), on 6-fold W, on bridging oxygen, and on plane oxygen. The most stable and likely NO₂ adsorption structures are both N-end oriented to the surface bridge oxygen O_1c site. By comparing the adsorption energy and the electronic population, it is found that Ti doping can enhance the adsorption of NO₂, which theoretically proves the experimental observation that Ti doping can greatly increase the WO₃ gas sensor sensitivity to NO₂ gas.