Narrow-Band HoFeO3 Nanostructure-Based Gas Sensor for n-Propanol Detection

The sensitive detection of n-propanol, a typical marker molecule in respiratory gases for lung cancer, has attracted much attention from the consideration of health in modern society. However, the identification of n-propanol at the sub-ppm level with rapid responsive ability is a significant challenge but very critical for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Herein, we demonstrate a unique chromosome-like HoFeO3 nanostructure material, prepared by annealing the self-sacrificial template of easily accessible HoFe(CN)6, for high-performance n-propanol sensing. In detecting n-propanol, the HoFeO3 material-based sensor exhibits a response of 120.5 to 100 ppm of n-propanol at an operating temperature of 120 °C. Most importantly, it shows a low detection limit of 50 ppb and a good linear relationship between response and concentration. This sensor also possesses a rapid responsive ability with a response time of 4 s. The remarkable sensing performance, greatly outperforming other conventional semiconductor-based chemiresistive gas sensors, can be mainly attributed to the mesoporous structure, various surface element states, and narrow-band traits. The homemade experiment system further validates the practical potential of HoFeO3 microchromosome-based gas sensors for early-stage lung cancer diagnosis.