Fabrication and characterization of ‘self-binding’ nanocrystalline SnO2 powder based thick film ethanol sensor

Abstract Sensing response of ‘self-binding’ nanoparticles of tin dioxide powder deposited on alumina substrate has been investigated. The nanocrystalline SnO2 powder has been derived from stannic chloride. It has been prepared through fine crystallization in liquid phase. SnO2 powder has been characterized using SEM, TEM and XRD techniques, which reveal that the average crystallite size is of 12 nm. The slurry blobs deposited on alumina substrate of the powder-thus-prepared have been studied for sensing response to ethanol at various temperatures and concentrations. The observations reveal that the material prepared is ‘self-binding’ and is very sensitive even without catalyst.