TiO₂/ZnO inner/outer double-layer hollow fibers for improved detection of reducing gases

TiO2/ZnO double-layer hollow fibers (DLHFs) are proposed as a superior sensor material in comparison to regular single-layer hollow fibers (HFs) for the detection of reducing gases. DLHFs were synthesized on sacrificial polymer fibers via atomic layer deposition of a first layer of TiO2 followed by a second layer of ZnO and by a final thermal treatment. The inner TiO2 receives electrons from the ZnO outer layer, which becomes more resistive due to the significant loss of electrons. This highly resistive ZnO layer partially regains its original resistivity when exposed to reducing gases such as CO, thus enabling more resistance variation in DLHFs. DLHFs are a novel material compared to HFs and can be successfully employed to fabricate chemical sensors for the accurate detection of reducing gases.