We investigated the recovery times of Pt-, Pd-, and Au-loaded SnO 2 (Pt, Pd, Au/SnO 2 ) semiconductor gas sensors after their exposure to nonanal as large-molecular-weight volatile organic compounds. The sensors were characterized by their response and temperature-programmed reaction (TPRe), and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation. Sensors pretreated by sufficient aging showed good response but poor resistance recovery with nonanal, whereas good resistance recovery was observed with isoprene. The TPRe analysis revealed that aldehyde gas molecules were oxidized to carboxylic acids on the sensors at the sensor working temperature. In sufficiently aged Pt, Pd, and Au/SnO 2 sensors, the loaded Pt, Pd, and Au catalysts were observed to aggregate by TEM. From these results, we suggest different dispersion states of the loaded Pt, Pd, and Au noble metal particles, the mechanism of oxidation and adsorption of nonanal molecules on SnO 2 grain surface, and their relationship to the recovery time after exposure to nonanal.