Efficient Room Temperature Ethanol Vapor Sensing by Unique Fractal Features of Tin Oxide

Abstract

Fractals are complex structures that repeat themselves at several scales. Nature exhibits these in many forms like snowflakes, mountains, coastlines, the human brain/lungs/ nervous system, and many more. It appears that these are nature’s organic way of growth. Thus, there is an underlying science that works to grow or create these self-similar patterns. In this work, tin oxide-based fractals have been grown under laboratory conditions and applied to a gas-sensing field. The facile growth methodology successfully grows fractals on a large scale. The tin oxide fractals have unique basic building units that connect and grow in different directions. These tin oxide fractals have successfully sensed ethanol vapors in the range of 20 ppm to 100 ppm. The best sensing response has also detected ethanol vapors as low as 10 ppm at room temperature with response and recovery times of 18 ± 3 s and 22 ± 5 s, respectively. The best sensing response recorded for such sensors was under 12 s. The characteristic fractal growth is attributed as the defining factor that enhances ethanol sensing at room temperature.