Synthesis and room-temperature NO2 sensing properties of Sb2O5 nanowires

Abstract

The sensing properties of Sb2O5 nanowires are reported for the first time. By varying the heating temperature of a mixture of Sb and Bi powders, we have successfully prepared Sb2O5 nanowires. For nanowires grown at 600A degrees C, the stem is mainly comprised of a monoclinic Sb2O5 phase, with a trace amount of a monoclinic Bi2O3 phase. The existence of Au nanoparticles at the tips suggests that the 600A degrees C-synthesized nanowires are mainly grown via a vapor-liquid-solid process. The 500A degrees C-grown products comprise a small amount of 1D nanostructures, whereas the 700A degrees C-grown product does not exhibit sufficiently thin 1D nanostructures. A representative A survey XPS spectrum exhibits several peaks, including Sb 3p, Sb 3d, O 1s, C 1s, Bi 4f, and Sb 4d. At room temeperature, the sensor response, response time, and recovery time of the nanowires were measured to be 1.20, 2104 s, and 6579 s, respectively. Sensor measurements employing NO2 gas indicate that the Sb2O5 nanowires synthesized in this work have potential for use as a room-temperature NO2 chemical gas sensors.