Near room temperature operable H2S sensors based on In2O3 colloidal quantum dots

Indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ) nanomaterials have been investigated extensively as promising candidates for gas sensor applications. Here, we fabricate near room temperature operable H 2 S-sensitive gas sensors based on In 2 O 3 colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). Room-temperature film deposition of In 2 O 3 CQDs followed by surface ligand exchange treatment through Cu inorganic salts was employed to construct the sensor devices. Combined with a moderate annealing treatment, the long-chain ligands surrounding the quantum dot surfaces were completely removed to enhance gas adsorption and carrier transport, simultaneously resulting in the formation of CuO that may act as a catalytic promoter or form p-n heterojunction for selective H 2 S detection. The sensors exhibited high response up to 90 toward 5 ppm of H 2 S with response/recovery time of 72 s/200 s respectively, suggestive of a performance improvement compared to the In 2 O 3 -based H 2 S sensors reported in existing literature. The power law analysis indicated that the main oxygen species adsorbed on the surfaces were O 2 − and O − with the proportion of approximate 1:1 at near room temperature. The gas-sensing mechanism was attributed to the decisive role of surface states in determining the electrical conduction of quantum dot gas sensors.