Highly sensitive and thermal stable CO gas sensor based on SnO2 modified by SiO2.

Effects of surface chemical modification with SiO2 on the thermal stability and CO gas-sensing properties of SnO2 were investigated. The SiO2 on the SnO2 surface effectively inhibits the nanocrystal growth of SnO2. The average size of modified SnO2 sintered at 600 degrees C is 5.8 nm. The gas sensitivity to CO was found to be markedly enhanced by the surface chemical modification. The CO gas as low as 5 ppm can be effectively detected by the modified SnO2-based sensors. At the same time, the modified SnO2-based sensor has excellent selectivity to CO, fast response and recovery properties.