Glucose-modulated defect-enriched Sv-SnS2 sensor for rapid detection of NH3 at room temperature

Abstract

NH₃ has a profound influence on the environment and human health, so the development of NH₃ sensors for rapid detection at room temperature is of great practical significance. In this paper, SnS₂ nanoflower with different concentrations of S vacancies is prepared by a simple chemical reduction method, and its ability to detect NH₃ at room temperature is enhanced by the modification of the electronic structure from defect. Among them, the 0.15-SnS₂-Glucose (0.15-SG) sensor has a good selective response to NH₃ and a fast response time of 13 s, specially possesses a response value of 79.1% to 50 ppm NH₃ at room temperature. At the same time, the 0.15-SG sensor also has good long-term stability, excellent humidity resistance, and effectively detection of NH₃ in complex atmospheres. In addition, the simulated breathing test shows that the 0.15-SG sensor has a 25.0% response to the exhaled gas of a simulated renal failure patient, which proves that the sensor has great potential for application in human health detection. The 0.15-SG sensor was verified by Elovich model to have greater activation energy and stronger ammonia adsorption capacity. Finally, this paper reveals its sensing mechanism in terms of defect engineering, electronic structure tuning, and specific surface area.