Size-Controlled Synthesis of ZnSnO3 Cubic Crystallites at Low Temperatures and Their HCHO-Sensing Properties

Uniform and monodisperse ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites were prepared via a solution process involving the reaction of zinc sulfate and sodium stannate at a reaction temperature as low as 0 degrees C without any surfactant. The size was readily controlled from 40 to 600 nm by varying the reaction temperature. The possible formation mechanism of cubic crystallites was attributed to a nucleation assembly process. The as-fabricated sensors based on ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites showed high sensitivity, fast response, and short recovery times toward HCHO gas. And as the particle-size of ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites decrease, the sensitivity of gas sensors based on them increases and the recovery time shorten rapidly. The detection limit of ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites sensor can reach as little as lower than one per million for HCHO. The performance of a home-built ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites sensor was even better than the competing SnO2 and In2O3 sensor, making this material interesting for sensor devices.