Hydrothermal synthesis and volatile organic compounds sensing properties of La–TiO2 nanobelts

We report the microstructure and gas-sensing properties of La–TiO2 nanobelts prepared by the hydrothermal method. In particular, we make a comparison of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sensing properties between La–TiO2 nanobelts and La–TiO2 nanospheres. The results show that La–TiO2 nanobelts exhibit higher gas response as well as lower working temperature as compared to that of La–TiO2 nanospheres, suggesting that the gas sensing properties of nanocrystals can be significantly improved by tailoring the shape and the surface structure of nanocrystals.