abstract
This paper reports on the high sensitivity of sub-spherical In2O3-Pt nanoparticles (NPs) for detecting ppb levels of acetone, a biomarker for diabetes. The In2O3-Pt NPs, in the form of monodisperse metal oxide In2O3 NPs with diameters of 6-8 nm, decorated with 2 wt% Pt metal NPs (2-3nm) on the surface, were synthesized by a novel non -aqueous sol-gel route. NPs samples were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), using the advanced whole powder pattern modeling (WPPM) method, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The advantage of this preparative process is that it preserves metallic platinum NPs formed during the synthesis. The highly sensitive acetone sensor based on these NPs, showed a lower detection limit as low as 10 ppb or less, which is the lowest detection limit ever reported for any chemoresistive acetone sensors. This exceptional performance is likely due to the key role played by very small Pt metal NPs uniformly distributed in the In203-Pt nanostructure. The developed sensor would be suitable for use as a highly sensitive, practical breath acetone checker for daily diet and diabetes management and diagnosis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
GAS-SENSING PROPERTIES; LINE-PROFILE ANALYSIS; SENSITIZATION; NANOCRYSTALS; NANOPOWDERS; MECHANISM; FILMS; SNO2; CO
subject category
Chemistry; Electrochemistry; Instruments & Instrumentation
authors
Karmaoui, M; Leonardi, SG; Latino, M; Tobaldi, DM; Donato, N; Pullar, RC; Seabra, MP; Labrincha, JA; Neri, G
our authors
David Maria Tobaldi
Researcher
João António Labrincha Baptista
Full professor
Maria Paula Seabra
Assistant Professor
Mohamed Karmaoui
Post-doc Fellowship
Rob Pullar
Collaboratoracknowledgements
Mohamed Karmaoui thanks Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) for Grant No. SFRH/BPD/74477/2010. This work was developed in the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (Ref. FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013), financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when applicable co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. Authors acknowledge the PEstC/CTM/LA0011/2013 programme. R.C. Pullar is supported by the FCT grant SFRH/BPD/97115/2013.