Porous SnO2 Nanofibers Embedded with Hollow Hetero-Metal Oxide Nanospheres for Enhanced Gas Sensing

Developing high-performance sensing materials is essential for fabricating gas sensors with superior sensitivity and selectivity. In this paper, we present a generalizable electrospinning-thermal oxidation method combined with a sacrificial template approach to synthesize porous SnO2 nanofibers embedded with hollow heterometal oxide nanospheres (MxOy, where M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn), referred to as MxOy@SnO2. Carbonaceous spheres (CSs) act as templates, absorbing metal ions (Mn+) to form CSs@Mn+ composites. These are incorporated into precursor nanofibers via electrospinning, yielding bead-chain-like one-dimensional structures. Upon calcination in air, the structures transform into MxOy@SnO2 porous nanofibers, while retaining their morphology. Compared to pristine SnO2 nanofibers, the MxOy@SnO2 counterparts exhibit significantly enhanced sensing performance toward volatile organic compounds. Each heterometal oxide imparts selectivity to a specific analyte: Fe2O3 for n-propanol, Co3O4 for acetone, NiO for triethylamine, CuO for ethanethiol, and ZnO for n-butanol. The enhanced sensing response arises from the synergistic effects of porous, hollow architectures and one-dimensional heterojunctions. This work offers a strategy for constructing multifunctional gas sensing materials by embedding hollow nanospheres into porous nanofibers using combinatorial chemistry.