Synthesis of mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials with selective gas-sensing properties

Using SBA-15/KIT-5/KIT-6 as the hard templates, the mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials with different structures were synthesized by nanocasting. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption isotherms were used to testify their structure characteristics. These mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials showed high specific surface areas (57–96 m² g⁻¹) and pore volume (0.17–0.27 cm³ g⁻¹). The nanopore of these templates makes the nanosize particle of the final mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials (4–9 nm) at last. The sensing properties of acetone, ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol were investigated. The response of SnO₂-15, SnO₂-5, and SnO₂-6 are 17.0, 19.5, and 16.1, respectively as the concentration of ethyl alcohol on 200 ppm. The sensitivity of SnO₂-5 is 28.2 as the concentration of acetone was increased to 200 ppm. With the large surface area, high pore volume, and nanosized particles (close to 2 L = 6 nm of SnO₂), the SnO₂-5 show four fold enhancement in sensitivity compared to commercial SnO₂ powder and low detection limit (even at 200 ppb). The surface area and particle size play a significant party in the gas response. With the large surface area and smallest particle size, SnO₂-5 shows the highest sensitivity of all. These mesoporous nanomaterials show well potential application on the gas response.