Facile h-MoO3 synthesis for NH3 gas sensing application at moderate operating temperature

One dimensional (1D) transition metal oxide nano-structured materials have high possibilities in the field of sensor applications. In the current work, we have investigated gas sensing response of the less explored hexagonal-Molybdenum Oxide (h-MoO3) for ammonia (NH3) gas. We have synthesized h-MoO3 nano-rods by facile chemical bath technique (CBT). To fabricate sensors, thin films were deposited on glass substrates using spin coating technique. Change in resistance of the film on NH3 exposure was recorded with time. The gas sensing response was measured at different concentration levels of NH3 ranging from 5 ppm to 100 ppm at 200 degrees C. We observed comparatively high sensing percentage for low to high concentration of NH3 gas at moderate operating temperature. h-MoO3 nano-structured rods based ammonia sensors lend a promising prospective in industrial applications like fertilizer, refrigeration industries etc.