Effect of Pt concentration on the physicochemical properties and CO sensing activity of mesostructured SnO2

Pure and Pt-incorporated mesostructured SnO2 thin films were successfully prepared by using non-ionic surfactant Brij-58 (polyoxyethylene acyl ether) as organic template, and tin tetrachloride and hexachloroplatinic acid as inorganic precursors. Thin films were deposited onto glass substrates at 450 °C by simple spray pyrolysis technique. The mesostructured tin oxide thin films with various Pt concentrations exhibited highly selective response towards CO. The novelty of the present sensor material is its mesostructured nature with high sensitivity and selectivity towards CO at 200 °C. The correlation of the platinum incorporation in the mesostructure with morphology and structure is discussed based on the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and gas sensing behavior.