Highly Sensitive and Stable NO2 Gas Sensors Based on SWNTs with Exceptional Recovery Time

Abstract

Room temperature operable and highly sensitive NO2 gas sensors are fabricated based on (i) random and (ii) aligned networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The fabricated sensors are very sensitive, stable, and show shorter recovery time in the presence of UV light. Also, the variation of the response and recovery with network density is analyzed. The thin film resistor (TFR) of random network is fabricated by a reliable, cost-effective, and reproducible vacuum filtration method. The aligned network is fabricated using AC di-electrophoresis (DEP) technique. Electrodes spacing is optimized to avoid the chaining effect of aligned and bridged SWNTs between the gold electrode pair to enhance the stability and sensitivity of the sensor. Both the sensors based on random and aligned networks of SWNTs is tested with NO2 at room temperature. It is found that the sensor made of the aligned network shows 3.5 times more sensitivity as compared to the random networks gas sensor but recovery time increases. It is also observed that sensors fabricated by TFR and aligned network techniques are stable and having less than 0.02 % and 0.15 % change in resistance with baseline, respectively. The TFR gas sensors fabricated using as prepared (AP) and purified and low functionality (P2) SWNTs show higher stability but less sensitive compared to the aligned network. The measured complete recovery time of sensors based on random and aligned SWNTs are 50 sec and 124 sec, respectively, for 0.5 ppm NO2. It is also observed that as the network density decreases response improves but the recovery time increases. 2001-2012 IEEE.