Enhanced trimethylamine gas-sensing performance of CeO2 nanoparticles-decorated MoO3 nanorods

The MoO3 nanorods decorated with CeO2 were successfully synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method, and the microstructure and morphology of CeO2/MoO3 were determined by XRD, XPS, SEM, and TEM. It can be confirmed by SEM that the CeO2 nanoparticles of uniform size were successfully compounded with MoO3 nanorods. According to the gas sensitivity test results, the response value of the CeO2/MoO3 sensors to trimethylamine gas has been enhanced by about 20 times, and the excellent catalytic performance of CeO2 and the conversion of the oxidation state of Ce ions have played a vital role. The analysis of XPS spectrum reveals the effect of the conversion of Ce3+ ions and Ce4+ ions on the enhancement of gas sensitivity. In addition, the gas-sensing mechanism of CeO2/MoO3 is discussed based on the change of resistance value, which shows the great potential of CeO2 in the field of gas sensing.