Synthesis of novel layer-packed In<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> nanostructures and their application in gas sensor for detecting indoor air contaminants

Abstract

A novel layer-packed In 2 O 3 nanostructure and its application in gas sensor for the detection of indoor air contaminants were reported. The special In 2 O 3 nanomaterials were prepared by annealing In 2 S 3 precursors synthesized via a surfactant-assisted assembly route. The influencing factors towards the morphology of In 2 S 3 precursors were also investigated. In gas-sensing measurements, typical indoor air contaminants, including formaldehyde, ammonia, and benzene were employed as target gases. We found that the as-fabricated sensor exhibited a sensitive property to analytes, especially towards formaldehyde. Besides, by using principal component analysis (PCA) and comparison on kinetic processes of gas adsorption-desorption, the gas sensor show a significantly selective performance due to the special layer-packed structure, which enable it to be promisingly applied for environmental monitoring towards indoor air contaminants.