Sensitivity and Response of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Tin Oxide Nanocomposite Multilayer Thin Film Sensors

Nanocrystalline Tin Oxide (SnO₂) is Non-Stoichiometric in Nature with Functional Properties Suitable for gas sensing. In this study, SnO₂nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel technique, which were then characterised using X-ray diffraction. The nanoparticles showed tetragonal structure with an average crystallite size of 18 nm. The stretching and vibration modes of SnO₂were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The size of SnO₂ nanoparticles was determined using particle size analyser, which was found be 60 ± 10 nm on average. The surface morphology of the nanoparticles was investigated using scanning electron microscope, which showed irregular-sized agglomerated SnO₂nanostructures. In addition, primary particle size was evaluated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which was found to be 50 nm on average. The polyvinyl alcohol/SnO₂ composite thin film was prepared on a glass substrate using spin-coating method. The values of band gap energy and electrical conductance of 13-layer thin film were found to be 2.96 eV and 0.0505 mho, respectively. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) was suitably tailored to verify the sensor response over a concentration range of 10-70 ppm at room temperature. The performance, response, and recovery time of sensors were increased by increasing the layers of the thin film.