In situ and advanced study of pure and lanthanum doped CeO2 gas sensors

Abstract

The main goal of this proposal is to substantially increases the quality in the multidisciplinary research of electroceramics materials with sensor characteristics. It is believed that this research will widely contribute to the manufacture of devices for gas sensors applications, by improving the conditions of deposition of nanomaterials films, allowing the characterization and build the sensors properly by controlling the process variables. The materials used will be undoped and lanthanum doped(La) cerium oxide (CeO2, due to the functional properties of great technological interest of these oxides, which are synthesized by microwave assisted hydrothermal route (MAH), and its structural and morphological properties characterized by techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). Sensor films of nanomaterials will be deposited on alumina substrates by screen-printing technique. The performance of the sensor films (sensitivity, response time and recovery, selectivity, stability) will be evaluated in an airtight sensing chamber, developed and patented by our research group (PI20150103953 - Mar del Plata / Argentina), compared to different gaseous atmospheres at different temperature ranges and concentration controlled by means of the two ends probe technique. The innovation of this project is based on the improvement of the deposition process of the films by the screen-printing technique controlling the appropriate rate between nanopowder and glycerine(mg / mL) as well as the growth kinetics of the particles by the most appropriate thermal treatment (heating and cooling rates and soaking time), and the doping with lanthanum (La) in different proportions, to obtain the oxide films systems of technological interest for applications in gas sensors. In this proposal, an advanced research of the physicochemical, microstructural and morphological properties of one-dimensional semiconductor oxide nanostructures obtained by MAH route will be carried out, depending on your sensor response. The performance of the sensor films (sensitivity, response time and recovery, selectivity, stability) will be evaluated in an airtight sensing chamber, developed and patented by our research group (PI20150103953 - Mar del Plata / Argentina), compared to different gaseous atmospheres at different temperature ranges and concentration controlled by means of the two ends probe technique. The innovation of this project is based on the optimization of the cleaning solution process derived HAM synthesis obtained after centrifugation, aiming at the complete elimination of mineralizing traits, besides the process of depositing the films by screen-printing, since a detailed study will be performed to determine the optimal ratio (mg / mL) of powder and binder solution as well as the growth kinetics of the particles by the most appropriate thermal treatment (heating and cooling rates and soaking time), and the doping with lanthanum (La) in different proportions, to obtain the oxide films systems of technological interest for applications in gas sensors. In this proposal, an advanced research of the physicochemical, microstructural and morphological properties of one-dimensional semiconductor oxide nanostructures obtained by MAH route will be carried out, depending on your sensor response . (AU)