UV-Activated Au Modified TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) Hollow Nanospheres for Formaldehyde Detection at Room Temperature

Au modified TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) hollow nanospheres were synthesized by the hydrolysis method using the carbon nanospheres as a sacrificial template. Compared to pure In(2)O(3), pure TiO(2), and TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) based sensors, the Au/TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) nanosphere-based chemiresistive-type sensor exhibited excellent sensing performances to formaldehyde at room temperature under ultraviolet light (UV-LED) activation. The response of the Au/TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) nanocomposite-based sensor to 1 ppm formaldehyde was about 5.6, which is higher than that of In(2)O(3) (1.6), TiO(2) (2.1), and TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) (3.8). The response time and recovery time of the Au/TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) nanocomposite sensor were 18 s and 42 s, respectively. The detectable formaldehyde concentration could go down as low as 60 ppb. In situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was used to analyze the chemical reactions on the surface of the sensor activated by UV light. The improvement in the sensing properties of the Au/TiO(2)/In(2)O(3) nanocomposites could be attributed to the nanoheterojunctions and electronic/chemical sensitization of the Au nanoparticles.