Mesoporous Ag/In2O3 composite derived from indium organic framework as high performance formaldehyde sensor

Mesoporous Ag/In2O3 composite materials with different concentrations of Ag particles have been prepared by the calcination of Ag+-entrapped indium-organic frameworks (InOFs). The structures and components of these MOF-derived Mesoporous Ag/In2O3 composite materials have been characterized thoroughly. Gas sensing measurements indicated that the incorporation of metallic Ag particles into the mesoporous structure significantly improves the gas-sensing properties of In2O3. Specially, the response of 5% Ag-loaded In2O3 sensor to 50 ppm formaldehyde is 5 times higher than that of pure In2O3 particles at 210 degrees C, which is among the best formaldehyde sensor materials reported to date. Also, Ag/In2O3 composite sensor exhibit short response time (similar to 22 s) and excellent recovery. These results indicated that the InOF-derived mesoporous Ag/In2O3 materials maybe can be used to fabricate high performance formaldehyde sensors in practice.