A Novel Gas Sensor Based on MgSb(2)O(6) Nanorods to Indicate Variations in Carbon Monoxide and Propane Concentrations

Bystromite (MgSb(2)O(6)) nanorods were prepared using a colloidal method in the presence of ethylenediamine, after a calcination step at 800 °C in static air. From X-ray powder diffraction analyses, a trirutile-type structure with lattice parameters a = 4.64 Å and c = 9.25 Å and space group P4(2)/mnm was identified. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microrods with sizes from 0.2 to 1.6 μm were observed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed that the nanorods had a length of ~86 nm and a diameter ~23.8 nm. The gas-sensing properties of these nanostructures were tested using pellets elaborated with powders of the MgSb(2)O(6) oxide (calcined at 800 °C) at temperatures 23, 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C. The pellets were exposed to different concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and propane (C(3)H(8)) at these temperatures. The results showed that the MgSb(2)O(6) nanorods possess excellent stability and high sensitivity in these atmospheres.