Nanofiber-assembled porous cage structure Pt-WO3 for room temperature detection of H2S sensor: Experimental and DFT study

This paper reports the synthesis of WO3 and Pt doped WO3 nanomaterials using a one-step hydrothermal method. The surface morphology, structural properties, chemical composition and gas-sensitive properties were characterized and analyzed. High surface oxygen and high specific surface area content can enhance the catalytic activity in redox reactions. The prepared nanofiber-assembled Pt-WO3 materials with cage-like porous structure are characterized by abundant defect states. The response value of the Pt-doped WO3 nanomaterials to 20 ppm H2S is 3.04 times higher than that of the intrinsic WO3 sample at room temperature. In addition, the intrinsic mechanism of the enhanced gas-sensitive properties of the Pt-WO3 materials is deeply revealed by first-principle calculation of the adsorption energy and electronic density of states. The experimental results corroborate with the theoretical analysis, indicating that the Pt-doped WO3 nanomaterials have a good application prospect in the detection of H2S at low concentration at room temperature.