Fabrication of a SnO(2)-Based Acetone Gas Sensor Enhanced by Molecular Imprinting

This work presents a new route to design a highly sensitive SnO(2)–based sensor for acetone gas enhanced by the molecular imprinting technique. Unassisted and acetone-assisted thermal synthesis methods are used to synthesis SnO(2) nanomaterials. The prepared SnO(2) nanomaterials have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and N(2) adsorption−desorption. Four types of SnO(2) films were obtained by mixing pure deionized water and liquid acetone with the two types of as-prepared powders, respectively. The acetone gas sensing properties of sensors coated by these films were evaluated. Testing results reveal that the sensor coated by the film fabricated by mixing liquid acetone with the SnO(2) nanomaterial synthesized by the acetone-assisted thermal method exhibits the best acetone gas sensing performance. The sensor is optimized for the smooth adsorption and desorption of acetone gas thanks to the participation of acetone both in the procedure of synthesis of the SnO(2) nanomaterial and the device fabrication, which results in a distinct response–recovery behavior.