journal article·2025-12Open access

Tuning Gas Sensor Selectivity via Morphological Engineering of Au Catalysts on TiO 2 ‐based Nanosheets

Sol Han, Yong Whan Kim, Sang Hyun Ji, Seung Yong Lee, Eunki Yoon, Aelim Ha, Soohyung Park, Hyung‐Seok Kim, Dong Won Chun, Myung Sik Choi, Changhyun Jin, Kyu Hyoung Lee, Jeong Yun Hwang

Small· Volume 21· Issue 48

Abstract

Abstract Recent studies on catalyst development have primarily focused on discovering novel catalyst compositions, rather than exploiting the morphology and interface effects of existing catalytic materials. This study develops a novel material‐driven gas sensor selectivity strategy by tailoring the surface energy of TiO 2‐ y (TO) and Ti 1‐ x Pt x O 2‐ y (TPO) nanosheet (NS) supports to control the morphology of decorated Au catalysts. Through precise modulation of the substrate surface energies of TO/TPO NSs, the sizes and shapes of the Au catalysts can be engineered from nanoparticles (NPs) to micro‐sized sheets without significant changes in chemical composition. This morphological control enables the realization of molecular weight‐dependent gas selectivity, achieving enhanced detection of target gases, such as CO 2 , ethanol, benzene, and toluene, with molecular weights of 40 or higher. In contrast to conventional approaches reliant on passive material properties, this strategy leverages engineered material interfaces and catalyst morphologies to actively direct gas sensing behavior. Furthermore, these results overturn the conventional notion that smaller catalysts necessarily yield higher reactivity, demonstrating that catalyst size and shape, governed by substrate‐material interactions, can be key determinants of chemical reactivity. This finding provides a new pathway for the rational design of selective gas sensors through advanced materials engineering.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors · Advanced Chemical Sensor Technologies · Catalytic Processes in Materials Science

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Yonsei University Seoul 03722 Republic of Korea

Advanced Analysis Center Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Seoul 02792 Republic of Korea

Energy Storage Research Center Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Seoul 02792 Republic of Korea

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea

Department of Nano & Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Kyungpook National University Sangju 37224 Republic of Korea

Funding

Ministry of Education · Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology · Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea · Samsung

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