BNQDs sensitized in-situ growth SnO2 nanotube arrays for enhancing the gas sensing performances to isopropanol

Isopropanol possessed enormous significance across various application fields from industry to healthcare. Detecting isopropanol was essential in leak detection and diagnosis of disease because it can assist diagnose of lung cancer and guarantee safety in industrial environment via discerning potential leaks. In this research, a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent sacrificial template strategy were used to fabricate in-situ growth SnO2 nanotube arrays (SnO2NTs). Next, SnO2NTs was decorated with boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) in order to enhance the gas-sensing performances of the SnO2NTs. The BN/12-SnO2NTs exhibited the highest response (s = Ra/Rg) of up to 7.9 to 100 ppm IPA, which was 2.7 times that of the 12-SnO2NTs. The response and recovery times of the SnO2NTs-based sensor were around 10 s and 8 s, respectively. The optimal working temperature of BN-SnO2NTs was 260 ℃, which was significantly lower than that of the pure SnO2NTs sensor (320 ℃). The improved sensing performances were largely attributed to the sensitization effects of BNQDs and the one-dimensional hollow structure of SnO2NTs, which brought about the generation of more oxygen-active species on the surface of BN-SnO2NTs and a significant decrease in the activation energy of the redox reaction.