SnO(2) thin films modified by the SnO(2)-Au nanocomposites: Response to reducing gases

Abstract

The influence of the SnO(2) surface modification by the SnO(2)-Au nanocomposites on conductivity response to such reducing gases as CO and H(2) has been analyzed in the present paper. Both initial SnO(2) films, subjected for surface modification, and SnO(2)-Au nanocomposites were deposited by Successive Ionic Layer Deposition (SILD) method. The SnO(2)-Au nanocomposites with Au/Sn ratio similar to 1 were synthesized using HAuCl(4) and SnCl(2) precursors. The thickness of the Au-SnO(2) nanolayers varied from 0.7-1.0 nm to 10-15 nm. It was established that the increase in the thickness of the SnO(2)-Au nanocomposite layer formed on the surface of the SnO(2) films was accompanied by both the improvement of sensor response and the decrease in response and recovery times. An explanation of the observed effects has been proposed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.