Vanadium Pentoxide Nanostructures for Sensitive Detection of Hydrogen Gas at Room Temperature

Pankaj Singh Chauhan; Shantanu Bhattacharya

Authors

Pankaj Singh Chauhan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur - 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shantanu Bhattacharya Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur - 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India

Keywords:

Hydrogen Gas sensors, Nanostructures, Metal oxide semiconductors, Surface defects

Abstract

In this paper, novel vanadium pentoxide (V2O5 ) nanostructures of wire and star morphologies were synthesized by a daylong simple hydrothermal route using vanadyl sulphate hydrate and potassium bromate as precursors. The detection of trace quantities of Hydrogen (lower explosion limit is 4% in air) is performed at room temperature using thin films of the as synthesized novel nanostructures. Sensing behaviour of V2O5 nanostructures has been studied in details confirming sensitivity enhancement depending upon different morphologies. A 40% increase in sensitivity was recorded just by changing the shape of nanostructures from nanowires to nanostars. Detailed characterization was carried out for these morphologies using various techniques like FESEM, XRD, and FTIR etc. Sensor performance was dynamically evaluated under trace gas concentrations in room temperature condition and was recorded to possess a high sensitivity of 80%. The work shows a promising nature of the V2O5 nanostructures as sensing element for the detection of trace hydrogen gas at room temperature.