Synthesis and selective gas-sensing properties of hierarchically porous intestine-like SnO2 hollow nanostructures

Hierarchically porous intestine-like SnO2 hollow nanostructures of different dimension were successfully synthesized via a facile, organic template free, H2O2-assisted method at room temperature. The morphology as well as texture (congregated solid sphere, intestine-like solid nanostructure, hollow core–shell one, and intestine-like hollow one) of SnO2 materials can be controlled by varying H2O2 concentration and the size of intestine-like hollow SnO2 can be tuned in the range of 20–120 nm by changing SnSO4 concentration. The hierarchically porous intestine-like SnO2 has high specific surface area (142 m2 g−1). The gas-sensing behaviors of the intestine-like SnO2 material to different gas probes such as ethanol, H2, CO, methane, and butane have been investigated; among them a high selectivity to ethanol was achieved.