Porous In2O3 microstructures: Hydrothermal synthesis and enhanced Cl2 sensing performance

A facile hydrothermal route was employed to synthesize the porous In2O3 microstructures including nanocube and microcube with Span-60 as surfactant. Its morphological feature was characterized as self-assembled by irregular-shaped cubes with loose porous surfaces, and it was observed that the amount of Span-60-added affects the overall morphology significantly. Furthermore, gas sensing characteristics of the obtained products were studied. The results demonstrated that the sensors based on Span-60-added In2O3 structures exhibited a higher response to Cl2 than those without span-60 and the 1.5 mmol Span-60-added structures (S5) showed the highest response of 23.8±2.3 for 5 ppm Cl2. The high response, quick response-recovery behavior and excellent stability imply good potential for practical applications. The BET results verified the porous architectures and large surface area of the porous In2O3 microstructures, which may explain the improvement of the gas sensing characteristics. Finally, the gas sensing mechanism was also studied.