"Sensing Enhancement of Gold Nanoparticles Doped-TiO2 Thin Films as H2S Gas Sensor "

Abstract

"Titanium dioxide and gold nanoparticles were synthesized using an environmentally friendly method to deposit undoped and Au-doped TiO 2 thin films on silicon and glass substrates via the spray pyrolysis technique. The effect of the Au nanoparticles concentrations on structural, morphological, and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) gas sensing characteristics of TiO 2 thin films were investigated. An X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the polycrystalline structure of the films deposited on glass and Si substrates with a dominant rutile phase and the formation of additional mixed-phases of Ti-Au bonding. According to a Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy investigation, the cluster size ranged from 20 to 180 nm depending on the concentration of AuNPs. The sensing response of the prepared films was tested against H 2 S at different operating temperatures. The effect of growing a mixture of titanium-gold phases as a … "