Comparative Study of Two Different TiO₂ Film Sensors on Response to H₂ under UV Light and Room Temperature

An anatase TiO₂ film sensor was prepared by a facile in-situ method on the interdigitated Au electrode deposited on the alumina substrate. The structure, morphology and the optical properties of the in-situ TiO₂ film sensor were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photo-assisted gas sensitivities of the prepared film towards H₂ gas were evaluated at room temperature in N₂ and synthetic air atmospheres. As compared to TiO₂ film sensor prepared by drop-coating method, this in-situ TiO₂ film sensor exhibited a more compact structure composed of uniform TiO₂ microspheres as well as a better gas sensitivity towards H₂ under UV irradiation, especially in synthetic air. The photo-electrochemical measurements suggest that these improvements may be associated with the efficient charge transfer in the TiO₂ interface induced by the TiO₂ microsphere structure. This study might offer a feasible approach to develop photo-assisted gas sensors at ambient temperature.