Nanometric La2CuO4 was synthesized with the Pechini method, co‐precipitation, and two variations of the auto‐ignition technique for fabricating NOX sensor electrodes. The auto‐ignition technique produced the most phase‐pure powder with the smallest particle size and the largest specific surface area. The sensor electrodes were subjected to various thermal treatments resulting in a variety of electrode grain sizes and distributions. The response times of the sensors were exponentially dependent on electrode grain size. Sensors with fine‐grained electrodes were able to produce a steady‐state and consistent voltage at lower temperatures; improving their response sensitivity. Sensors fabricated with powders synthesized through the auto‐ignition route responded quickly, sensitively, and reproducibility to NO.

a b s t r a c tThe effects of electrical contact configuration for La 2 CuO 4 sensing electrodes for a planar-based potentiometric gas sensor were studied in order to further quantify the effects of processing on sensor performance. Five configurations of La 2 CuO 4 were used for the sensing electrode. The La 2 CuO 4 sensing electrode was screen printed opposite a Pt counter electrode on a tape cast YSZ electrolyte. Three sensors were prepared for each configuration to test repeatability. Each sensor was tested at temperatures from 400 to 700• C at various concentrations of NO 2 , NO, and CO in an environment of 3% O 2 with a balance of N 2 . Results show that these sensors exhibit suitable sensitivity to all the gases tested. More importantly, it was shown that the sensitivity, selectivity/cross-sensitivity, and repeatability of these sensors are dependent on the sensing electrode configuration.

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