Sensitivity improvement of TiO2-doped SnO2 to volatile organic compounds

Most of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often harmful or even toxic for environment, which require in situ detection. Here, we demonstrate that the TiO2 additive can enhance significantly gas-sensing properties of the SnO2-based sensor to VOCs, independent of its content and the concentration of tested gases. The improved gas-sensing quantities of matter, i.e., maximum sensitivity, minimum gas concentration, optimal operating temperature, and response and recovery times, are found to satisfy the basic needs for a practical application, which renders the TiO2–SnO2 composite material promising for the development of sensor devices to VOCs.

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► TiO2 additive enhances significantly gas-sensing properties of SnO2-based sensor to volatile organic compounds.
► Property improvement is independent of operating temperature and gas concentration.
► Enhanced key gas-sensing properties meet basic needs for practical applications.
► TiO2–SnO2 composite is promising for development of sensors to volatile organic compounds.