Characteristics of gas sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotube bundles treated by acid stirring

The paper presents the effect of acid treatment on the structure of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles and on the characteristics of SWNT-based gas sensors. The commercial SWNT powder was treated with a mixture of concentrated H2SO4:HNO3 (3:1 in volume) before used to fabricate sensors for ammonia (NH3) detection at room temperature. The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images indicated that the acid treatment not only removed most of catalytic particles from the SWNT bundles, but also caused SWNT bundles to be fragile. The fracture of the SWNT facilitated for gas molecules to adsorb in the SWNT sites, leading to an enhancement in sensitivity of the sensors. Upon exposing to 50 ppm NH3 in 450 sccm of nitrogen flowing rate at room temperature, the resistance of the 2-h-stirred sensors increased to 38% compared to 22% of the 1-h-stirred sensor. The recovery of the SWNT sensor was also accelerated owing to the treatment. These findings opened a new direction to improve the characteristics of SWNT-based gas sensors.