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Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2022) | Viewed by 16967

Special Issue Editor

Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Interests: nanomaterials; chemical sensors; semiconductors; surface; hybrid materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

In memory of Professor Alexander Gaskov.

Dear Colleagues,

The area of gas sensors application is rapidly expanding. This leads both to the expansion of the range of target gases and a greater variety of their detection conditions: temperature, humidity, interfering compounds. Semiconductor materials are of exceptional interest for the development of gas sensors that can be integrated into miniature devices and convert information into electrical signals with high sensitivity and speed.

Wide-gap binary n-type metal oxides SnO2, ZnO, WO3, and In2O3 are most widely used to create semiconductor gas sensors. However, despite their high sensitivity and easy manufacturing, these materials have limitations in selectivity, especially when analyzing gas mixtures in real conditions with variable air humidity. Overcoming these limitations is the main focus of research in the field of sensor materials science. A significant amount of work falls on semiconductor structures consisting of different compounds. These studies consider nanocomposites, organic–inorganic hybrid materials, and n–n and n–p heterostructures. At present, the full potential of the new material is difficult to imagine, as information is still being accumulated. Fundamental and applied research that provides information on the mechanisms of the sensor response formation, as well as an understanding of the relationships between the sensor properties of materials, their physicochemical characteristics, and synthesis conditions, is necessary for the targeted development of contemporary materials for gas sensors. A Special Issue of MDPI Sensors can become a scientific platform for discussing the advantages and possibilities of gas sensors based on complex semiconductor materials.

Prof. Dr. Marina N. Rumyantseva
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Binary and complex (spinels, perovskites, etc.) Metal oxide semiconductors
  • Metal-oxide-based semiconductor nanocomposites
  • Nn and np semiconductor heterostructures
  • Organic–inorganic hybrid semiconductor hybrid materials
  • Solid–gas interaction
  • Processes and fabrication technologies for semiconductor gas sensors

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4426 KiB  
Article
Impedance Spectroscopy of Hierarchical Porous Nanomaterials Based on por-Si, por-Si Incorporated by Ni and Metal Oxides for Gas Sensors
by Anton Bobkov, Victor Luchinin, Vyacheslav Moshnikov, Svetlana Nalimova and Yulia Spivak
Sensors 2022, 22(4), 1530; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22041530 - 16 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2317
Abstract
Approaches are being developed to create composite materials with a fractal-percolation structure based on intercalated porous matrices to increase the sensitivity of adsorption gas sensors. Porous silicon, nickel-containing porous silicon, and zinc oxide have been synthesized as materials for such structures. Using the [...] Read more.
Approaches are being developed to create composite materials with a fractal-percolation structure based on intercalated porous matrices to increase the sensitivity of adsorption gas sensors. Porous silicon, nickel-containing porous silicon, and zinc oxide have been synthesized as materials for such structures. Using the impedance spectroscopy method, it has been shown that the obtained materials demonstrate high sensitivity to organic solvent vapors and can be used in gas sensors. A model is proposed that explains the high sensitivity and inductive nature of the impedance at low frequencies, considering the structural features and fractal-percolation properties of the obtained oxide materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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11 pages, 3947 KiB  
Article
The Role of Different Lanthanoid and Transition Metals in Perovskite Gas Sensors
by Abdulaziz Alharbi, Benjamin Junker, Mohammad Alduraibi, Ahmad Algarni, Udo Weimar and Nicolae Bârsan
Sensors 2021, 21(24), 8462; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21248462 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2302
Abstract
Beginning with LaFeO3, a prominent perovskite-structured material used in the field of gas sensing, various perovskite-structured materials were prepared using sol–gel technique. The composition was systematically modified by replacing La with Sm and Gd, or Fe with Cr, Mn, Co, and [...] Read more.
Beginning with LaFeO3, a prominent perovskite-structured material used in the field of gas sensing, various perovskite-structured materials were prepared using sol–gel technique. The composition was systematically modified by replacing La with Sm and Gd, or Fe with Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni. The materials synthesized are comparable in grain size and morphology. DC resistance measurements performed on gas sensors reveal Fe-based compounds solely demonstrated effective sensing performance of acetylene and ethylene. Operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy shows the sensing mechanism is dependent on semiconductor properties of such materials, and that surface reactivity plays a key role in the sensing response. The replacement of A-site with various lanthanoid elements conserves surface reactivity of AFeO3, while changes at the B-site of LaBO3 lead to alterations in sensor surface chemistry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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13 pages, 8555 KiB  
Article
Low-Operating-Temperature NO2 Sensor Based on a CeO2/ZnO Heterojunction
by Kai Sun, Guanghui Zhan, Hande Chen and Shiwei Lin
Sensors 2021, 21(24), 8269; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21248269 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3061
Abstract
CeO2/ZnO-heterojunction-nanorod-array-based chemiresistive sensors were studied for their low-operating-temperature and gas-detecting characteristics. Arrays of CeO2/ZnO heterojunction nanorods were synthesized using anodic electrodeposition coating followed by hydrothermal treatment. The sensor based on this CeO2/ZnO heterojunction demonstrated a much higher [...] Read more.
CeO2/ZnO-heterojunction-nanorod-array-based chemiresistive sensors were studied for their low-operating-temperature and gas-detecting characteristics. Arrays of CeO2/ZnO heterojunction nanorods were synthesized using anodic electrodeposition coating followed by hydrothermal treatment. The sensor based on this CeO2/ZnO heterojunction demonstrated a much higher sensitivity to NO2 at a low operating temperature (120 °C) than the pure-ZnO-based sensor. Moreover, even at room temperature (RT, 25 °C) the CeO2/ZnO-heterojunction-based sensor responds linearly and rapidly to NO2. This sensor’s reaction to interfering gases was substantially less than that of NO2, suggesting exceptional selectivity. Experimental results revealed that the enhanced gas-sensing performance at the low operating temperature of the CeO2/ZnO heterojunction due to the built-in field formed after the construction of heterojunctions provides additional carriers for ZnO. Thanks to more carriers in the ZnO conduction band, more oxygen and target gases can be adsorbed. This explains the enhanced gas sensitivity of the CeO2/ZnO heterojunction at low operating temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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16 pages, 5076 KiB  
Article
Flame-Made La2O3-Based Nanocomposite CO2 Sensors as Perspective Part of GHG Monitoring System
by Matvey Andreev, Vadim Platonov, Darya Filatova, Elena Galitskaya, Sergey Polomoshnov, Sergey Generalov, Anastasiya Nikolaeva, Vladimir Amelichev, Oleg Zhdaneev, Valeriy Krivetskiy and Marina Rumyantseva
Sensors 2021, 21(21), 7297; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21217297 - 02 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
Continuous monitoring of greenhouse gases with high spatio-temporal resolution has lately become an urgent task because of tightening environmental restrictions. It may be addressed with an economically efficient solution, based on semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors. In the present work, CO2 detection [...] Read more.
Continuous monitoring of greenhouse gases with high spatio-temporal resolution has lately become an urgent task because of tightening environmental restrictions. It may be addressed with an economically efficient solution, based on semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors. In the present work, CO2 detection in the relevant concentration range and ambient conditions was successfully effectuated by fine-particulate La2O3-based materials. Flame spray pyrolysis technique was used for the synthesis of sensitive materials, which were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs) and low temperature nitrogen adsorption coupled with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) effective surface area calculation methodology. The obtained materials represent a composite of lanthanum oxide, hydroxide and carbonate phases. The positive correlation has been established between the carbonate content in the as prepared materials and their sensor response towards CO2. Small dimensional planar MEMS micro-hotplates with low energy consumption were used for gas sensor fabrication through inkjet printing. The sensors showed highly selective CO2 detection in the range of 200–6667 ppm in humid air compared with pollutant gases (H2 50 ppm, CH4 100 ppm, NO2 1 ppm, NO 1 ppm, NH3 20 ppm, H2S 1 ppm, SO2 1 ppm), typical for the atmospheric air of urbanized and industrial area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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Review

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39 pages, 5030 KiB  
Review
Metal Oxide Chemiresistors: A Structural and Functional Comparison between Nanowires and Nanoparticles
by Andrea Ponzoni
Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3351; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22093351 - 27 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1878
Abstract
Metal oxide nanowires have become popular materials in gas sensing, and more generally in the field of electronic and optoelectronic devices. This is thanks to their unique structural and morphological features, namely their single-crystalline structure, their nano-sized diameter and their highly anisotropic shape, [...] Read more.
Metal oxide nanowires have become popular materials in gas sensing, and more generally in the field of electronic and optoelectronic devices. This is thanks to their unique structural and morphological features, namely their single-crystalline structure, their nano-sized diameter and their highly anisotropic shape, i.e., a large length-to-diameter aspect ratio. About twenty years have passed since the first publication proposing their suitability for gas sensors, and a rapidly increasing number of papers addressing the understanding and the exploitation of these materials in chemosensing have been published. Considering the remarkable progress achieved so far, the present paper aims at reviewing these results, emphasizing the comparison with state-of-the-art nanoparticle-based materials. The goal is to highlight, wherever possible, how results may be related to the particular features of one or the other morphology, what is effectively unique to nanowires and what can be obtained by both. Transduction, receptor and utility-factor functions, doping, and the addition of inorganic and organic coatings will be discussed on the basis of the structural and morphological features that have stimulated this field of research since its early stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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28 pages, 8982 KiB  
Review
Effect of Ag Addition on the Gas-Sensing Properties of Nanostructured Resistive-Based Gas Sensors: An Overview
by Sachin Navale, Mehrdad Shahbaz, Ali Mirzaei, Sang Sub Kim and Hyoun Woo Kim
Sensors 2021, 21(19), 6454; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21196454 - 27 Sep 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3858
Abstract
Nanostructured semiconducting metal oxides (SMOs) are among the most popular sensing materials for integration into resistive-type gas sensors owing to their low costs and high sensing performances. SMOs can be decorated or doped with noble metals to further enhance their gas sensing properties. [...] Read more.
Nanostructured semiconducting metal oxides (SMOs) are among the most popular sensing materials for integration into resistive-type gas sensors owing to their low costs and high sensing performances. SMOs can be decorated or doped with noble metals to further enhance their gas sensing properties. Ag is one of the cheapest noble metals, and it is extensively used in the decoration or doping of SMOs to boost the overall gas-sensing performances of SMOs. In this review, we discussed the impact of Ag addition on the gas-sensing properties of nanostructured resistive-based gas sensors. Ag-decorated or -doped SMOs often exhibit better responsivities/selectivities at low sensing temperatures and shorter response times than those of their pristine counterparts. Herein, the focus was on the detection mechanism of SMO-based gas sensors in the presence of Ag. This review can provide insights for research on SMO-based gas sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Materials)
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