Ethanol Gas Sensor Based on Pure and La-Doped Bismuth Vanadate

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) and lanthanum-doped bismuth vanadate (La-doped BiVO4) were prepared via the precipitation method. Their films were produced by simple drop-coating of the initial solutions over gold electrodes, which were coated over a glass substrate. The structural properties of BiVO4 and La-doped BiVO4 samples were studied using x-ray diffractometer, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and compositional analysis. A chamber was designed to install the sensing device and also controllable tools for gas flow rate and temperature. Changes in the resistance of the prepared layers were recorded during exposure to various amounts of ethanol vapor at different temperatures. Both BiVO4 and La-doped BiVO4 layers showed measurable responses in the form of resistance drop (increased conductivity). The higher temperatures up to 450 A degrees C led to stronger signals. The layer containing lanthanum showed signals with shorter recovery times. Introduction of lanthanum caused smaller crystallite sizes in addition to the formation of tetragonal phase of BiVO4. Presence of lanthanum increased the amounts of grain boundaries, magnitude of the response, and sensitivity. Sensitivity of La-doped BiVO4 was almost twice that of the BiVO4 at concentrations of 150-500 ppm of ethanol. Also, the correlation of the response as a function of concentration of ethanol in gas phase was exploited, and two different linear ranges were observed for the lower and higher concentrations.