Development of ITO thin film sensor for detection of benzene

Benzene being a major pollutant and a potential human carcinogen, development of a sensitive and selective sensor for its detection is the need of the hour. In the present work, the studies on the development of indium tin oxide thin film sensor for detection of benzene are presented. Thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) were deposited using thermal evaporation technique, and, under the optimized fabrication conditions, sets of sensors were fabricated. Their response to benzene vapours was studied. The sensing mechanism explaining the redox reactions on the surface of ITO has been proposed. The films were coated with thin layers of metals and oxides to enhance the performance for the sensitive and selective detection of benzene. Cross sensitivity of benzene with respect to toluene was studied and selectivity was obtained with a two layered structure of Cr/ITO.