Synergistic Effect of Au–PdO Modified Cu-Doped K₂W₄O₁₃ Nanowires for Dual Selectivity High Performance Gas Sensing

Both 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and triethylamine are highly toxic and harmful to human health, and their chronic inhalation can cause respiratory diseases, eye lesions, dermatitis, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and even fatality. Developing sensors for detecting such toxic gases with low power consumption, high response with superselectivity, and stability is crucial for healthcare and environmental monitoring. This study presents a typical gas sensor fabricated based on AuPdO modified Cu-doped K2W4O13 nanowires, which can selectively detect 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and triethylamine at 120 and 200 °C, respectively. The sensor displays excellent sensing performance at reduced operating temperature, high selectivity, fast response/recovery, and stability, which can be attributed to a synergistic effect of Cu dopants and AuPdO nanoparticles on the K2W4O13 host. The enhanced sensing response and selectivity could be attributed to the oxygen vacancies/defects, bandgap excitation, the electronic sensitization, the reversible redox reaction of PdO and Cu, the cocatalytic activity of AuPdO, and Schottky barrier contacts at the interface of tungsten oxide and Au. The significant variations in the activation capacities of Cu-doped K2W4O13, Pd/PdO, and Au nanoparticles toward 3H-2B and TEA, and the diffusion depth of the two gases in the coated sensing layer may cause dual selectivity. The designed gas sensor materials can serve as a sensitive target for detecting toxic biomarkers and hold broad application prospects in food and environmental safety inspection.