Facile synthesis of perfect ZnSn(OH)₆ octahedral microcrystallines with controlled size and high sensing performance towards ethanol

Abstract

Uniform and monodisperse ZnSn(OH)₆ perfect octahedrons have been synthesized by a facile coprecipitation reaction process. The particle size of the as-prepared ZnSn(OH)₆ octahedral structure can be readily controlled by adjusting the reaction temperature (T), the side length of ZnSn(OH)₆ octahedrons tailored from 3 µm (40°C) to 4 µm (60°C) and 5 µm (80°C). The ethanol sensing properties of the ZnSn(OH)₆ octahedrons were carefully investigated. The gas sensing experimental data show that the sensor based on ZnSn(OH)₆ (40°C) show good selectivity, fast response/recovery time and the highest response (R_a/R_g = 23.8) to 200 ppm ethanol at relatively low optimum operating temperature (200°C) among sensors based on ZnSn(OH)₆ (60°C) and ZnSn(OH)₆ (80°C), which might result from different specific surface areas. The study demonstrated that perfect octahedral ZnSn(OH)₆ with controlled crystalline size and desirable sensing performance can be synthesized with a simple fabrication procedure, and the octahedral ZnSn(OH)₆ could be a highly promising material for high-performance sensors.

Keywords

ZnSn(OH)₆ / octahedron / gas sensor / ethanol

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21471120) and the International Cooperation Project of Hubei Province (2012IHA00201), Educational Commission of Hubei Province of China (T201306).

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