Synthesis and toluene sensing properties of SnO2 nanofibers

A simple method for the large-scale synthesis of SnO2 nanofibers has been demonstrated through an electrospinning method. The as-synthesized fibers are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The sensor fabricated from these fibers exhibits high response to toluene at 350 °C with good selectivity. The response time and recovery time are about 1 and 5 s, respectively. The linear dependence of the response value on the toluene concentration is observed in the range of 10–300 ppm. The potential application of SnO2 nanofibers for fabricating high performance toluene sensors at industry level has been demonstrated.