Enhanced ethanol sensing performance of mesoporous Sn-doped ZnO

Mesoporous ZnO and Sn-doped ZnO were greenly synthesized by a low-cost and simple hydrothermal strategy assisted with Pluronic P123 (poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (propylene glycol)-block-poly (ethylene glycol)) as the surface active agent. The thick films of the gas sensing devices were prepared by a coating process. The responses to ethanol vapor of pure ZnO and Sn-doped thick films were investigated in the temperature range of 260–400 °C. According to the results, Sn-doped ZnO samples not only had obvious response to ethanol vapor, but exhibited excellent sensitivity as well. When the concentration of ethanol reached 100 ppm, sensitivity of Sn-doped ZnO (8.5 at%) reached 54.386 at 340 °C, which was about four-fold than that of pure ZnO.