The use of composite materials and polynary compounds is a promising strategy to promote conductometric sensor performances. The perovskite oxides provide various compositional combinations between different oxides for tuning gas-sensing reaction and endowing rich oxygen deficiencies for preferable gas adsorption. Herein, a sacrificial colloidal template approach is exploited to fabricate crystalline ternary LaFeO3 perovskite porous thin films, by transferring a La(3+)-Fe(3+) hybrid solution-dipped template onto a substrate and sequent heat treatment. The honeycomb-like LaFeO3 film consisted of monolayer periodic pore (size: ∼ 500 nm) array can be successfully in situ synthesized in a homogeneous layout with a single phase of perovskite. This periodic porous LaFeO3 film with p-type semiconductivity exhibits a high gas response, fast response (∼4 s), trace detection capacity (50 ppb), and favorable ethanol selectivity from similar acetone. It exhibits enhanced sensing performances compared to those of a binary n-type Fe2O3 film and a nontemplated dense LaFeO3 film. In addition, a five-axe spiderweb diagram is introduced to make a feasible evaluation of the optimal practical work condition, comprehensively regarding the response/recovery rate, gas response, selectivity and operating temperature. The enhanced ethanol sensing mechanism of honeycomb-like LaFeO3 periodic porous film is also addressed. This novel and facile route to fabricate well-ordered porous LaFeO3 thin film can also be applied to many fields to obtain special performances, such as solar cells, ion conductors, gas separation, piezoelectricity, and self-powered sensing device system.

Au@NiO yolk-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by simple solution route and applied for efficient gas sensor towards H₂S gas. Carbon encapsulated Au (Au@C core-shell) NPs were synthesized by glucose-assisted hydrothermal method, whereas Au@NiO yolk-shell NPs were synthesized by precipitation method using Au@C core-shell NPs as a template. Sub-micrometer Au@NiO yolk-shell NPs were formed having 50-70 nm Au NPs at the periphery of NiO shell (10-20 nm), which was composed of 6-12 nm primary NiO particles. Au@NiO yolk-shell NPs showed higher response for H2S compared to other interfering gases (ethanol, p-xylene, NH₃, CO and H₂). The maximum response was 108.92 for 5 ppm of H₂S gas at 300 °C, which was approximately 19 times higher than that for the interfering gases. The response of Au@NiO yolk-shell NPs to H₂S was approximately 4 times higher than that of bare NiO hollow nanospheres. Improved performance of Au@NiO yolk-shell NPs was attributed to hollow spaces that allowed the accessibility of Au NPs to gas molecules. It was suggested that adsorption of H₂S on Au NPs resulted in the formation of sulfide layer, which possibly lowered its work function, and therefore tuned the electron transfer from Au to NiO rather NiO to Au, which leaded to increase in resistance and therefore response.

Co3O4 hollow spheres prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis were converted into Co3O4-SnO2 core-shell hollow spheres by galvanic replacement with subsequent calcination at 450 °C for 2 h for gas sensor applications. Gas selectivity of the obtained spheres can be controlled by varying the amount of SnO2 shells (14.6, 24.3, and 43.3 at. %) and sensor temperatures. Co3O4 sensors possess an ability to selectively detect ethanol at 275 °C. When the amount of SnO2 shells was increased to 14.6 and 24.3 at. %, highly selective detection of xylene and methylbenzenes (xylene + toluene) was achieved at 275 and 300 °C, respectively. Good selectivity of Co3O4 hollow spheres to ethanol can be explained by a catalytic activity of Co3O4; whereas high selectivity of Co3O4-SnO2 core-shell hollow spheres to methylbenzenes is attributed to a synergistic effect of catalytic SnO2 and Co3O4 and promotion of gas sensing reactions by a pore-size control of microreactors.

Co-doped branched ZnO nanowires were prepared by multistep vapor-phase reactions for the ultraselective and sensitive detection of p-xylene. Highly crystalline ZnO NWs were transformed into CoO NWs by thermal evaporation of CoCl2 powder at 700 °C. The Co-doped ZnO branches were grown subsequently by thermal evaporation of Zn metal powder at 500 °C using CoO NWs as catalyst. The response (resistance ratio) of the Co-doped branched ZnO NW network sensor to 5 ppm p-xylene at 400 °C was 19.55, which was significantly higher than those to 5 ppm toluene, C2H5OH, and other interference gases. The sensitive and selective detection of p-xylene, particularly distinguishing among benzene, toluene, and xylene with lower cross-responses to C2H5OH, can be attributed to the tuned catalytic activity of Co components, which induces preferential dissociation of p-xylene into more active species, as well as the increase of chemiresistive variation due to the abundant formation of Schottky barriers between the branches.

Pure and 3–12 at. % Pr-doped In2O3 macroporous spheres were fabricated by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and their acetone-sensing characteristics under dry and humid conditions were investigated to design humidity-independent gas sensors. The 12 at. % Pr-doped In2O3 sensor exhibited approximately the same acetone responses and sensor resistances at 450 °C regardless of the humidity variation, whereas the pure In2O3 exhibited significant deterioration in gas-sensing characteristics upon the change in the atmosphere, from dry to humid (relative humidity: 80%). Moreover, the 12 at. % Pr-doped In2O3 sensor exhibited a high response to acetone with negligible cross responses to interfering gases (NH3, CO, benzene, toluene, NO2, and H2) under the highly humid atmosphere. The mechanism for the humidity-immune gas-sensing characteristics was investigated by X-ray photoelectron and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopies together with the phenomenological gas-sensing results and discussed in relation with Pr3+/Pr4+ redox pairs, regenerative oxygen adsorption, and scavenging of hydroxyl groups.