Effect of 100 MeV O 7+ ions irradiation on ethanol sensing response of nanostructures of ZnO and SnO 2

Abstract

Tin dioxide nanoparticles and zinc oxide nanorods were synthesized chemically and thick film gas sensors on alumina substrates were fabricated of these materials. Morphology and crystallite size of synthesized powders were investigated by TEM. The fabricated sensors were irradiated with 100 MeV O 7+ ions at fluences of 1×10 11, 1×10 12 and 1×10 13 ions/cm 2. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the samples before and after ion bombardment was performed for structural characterization. The sensing response to ethanol before and after irradiation was carried out for each fabricated sensor. Investigation revealed that irradiated SnO2 based sensor's response and response time increased significantly. Results show that ZnO based sensor exhibit strong resistance to damage caused by ion irradiation which might be due to defects annihilation.