Comparative Study of Two Different TiO(2) Film Sensors on Response to H(2) under UV Light and Room Temperature

An anatase TiO(2) film sensor was prepared by a facile in-situ method on the interdigitated Au electrode deposited on the alumina substrate. The structure, morphology and the optical properties of the in-situ TiO(2) film sensor were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photo-assisted gas sensitivities of the prepared film towards H(2) gas were evaluated at room temperature in N(2) and synthetic air atmospheres. As compared to TiO(2) film sensor prepared by drop-coating method, this in-situ TiO(2) film sensor exhibited a more compact structure composed of uniform TiO(2) microspheres as well as a better gas sensitivity towards H(2) under UV irradiation, especially in synthetic air. The photo-electrochemical measurements suggest that these improvements may be associated with the efficient charge transfer in the TiO(2) interface induced by the TiO(2) microsphere structure. This study might offer a feasible approach to develop photo-assisted gas sensors at ambient temperature.