title: Sensitivity and Response of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Tin Oxide Nanocomposite Multilayer Thin Film Sensors.
abstract: Nanocrystalline Tin Oxide (SnO₂) is Non-Stoichiometric in Nature with Functional Properties Suitable for gas sensing. In this study, SnO₂nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel technique, which were then characterised using X-ray diffraction. The nanoparticles showed tetragonal structure with an average crystallite size of 18 nm. The stretching and vibration modes of SnO₂were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The size of SnO₂ nanoparticles was determined using particle size analyser, which was found be 60 ± 10 nm on average. The surface morphology of the nanoparticles was investigated using scanning electron microscope, which showed irregular-sized agglomerated SnO₂nanostructures. In addition, primary particle size was evaluated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which was found to be 50 nm on average. The polyvinyl alcohol/SnO₂ composite thin film was prepared on a glass substrate using spin-coating method. The values of band gap energy and electrical conductance of 13-layer thin film were found to be 2.96 eV and 0.0505 mho, respectively. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) was suitably tailored to verify the sensor response over a concentration range of 10-70 ppm at room temperature. The performance, response, and recovery time of sensors were increased by increasing the layers of the thin film.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sriram
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Dhineshbabu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nithyavathy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saminathan
authors.forename: K V I S
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Kaler
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rajendran
mesh_terms: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D017971:Tin Compounds; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; C045358:stannic oxide