Highly efficient rapid ethanol sensing based on Co-doped In2O3 nanowires

Pristine and Co-doped In2O3 nanowires were synthesized via electrospinning with subsequent calcination. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize nanowire morphology and structure. Ethanol sensing performance analyzed in the range of temperatures and concentrations showed that Co-doped In2O3 nanowires exhibited significantly enhanced sensitivity and rate of performance with the response and recovery times of 2 s and 3 s. respectively. Combined with excellent selectivity and linearity, these properties make the fabricated nanowires a good candidate for practical ethanol sensing. Further performance improvements are possible with utilization of nanofiber continuity intrinsic of the used top-down nanowire nanomanufacturing process. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.