Transport properties of hybrid nanoparticle–nanowire systems and their application to gas sensing

Experimental data and theoretical modelling of the I-V characteristics of a gas sensor constructed from a mat of Au nanoparticle-coated GaN nanowires are presented. The principal mechanism for the response of the gas sensor to methane is explained in terms of the formation of a depletion layer within the nanowires due to the presence of the gold nanoparticles. The depth of the depletion layer is modulated by the potential induced by the physisorption of gas molecules onto the Au nanoparticles. A statistical model of the temperature-dependent I-V characteristics of bare and Au nanoparticle-decorated mats of GaN nanowires based on Poisson's equation has been used to determine the depth of the depletion layers of the nanowires. The room-temperature carrier concentration for the GaN nanowires was determined to be approximately 2.2 × 10(17) cm(-3). The induced potential due to methane physisorption onto the Au nanoparticles that decorate the GaN nanowires was determined to be approximately -37 mV.