Facile synthesis of hollow F-doped SnO2 nanofibers and their efficiency in ethanol sensing

This paper reports for the first time the facile synthesis of hollow F-doped SnO2 nanofibers by solution blow spinning (SBS) and their ethanol sensing performance. The as-prepared nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The gas sensing behavior of the F-doped SnO2 nanofibers was investigated using a homemade test chamber. The results revealed the preparation of mesoporous F-doped SnO2 hollow fibers with a diameter ranging from 207 +/- 43 to 355 +/- 41 nm. The combination of nanocrystalline hollow structure and F doping led to fast high-responsive ethanol sensors at room temperature (RT) with good reproducibility and long-term stability. These results indicate that F-doped SnO2 hollow nanofibers are good candidates for building practical low-temperature ethanol gas sensors.