PdRh nanoalloys decorated SnO2 nanorods for EMC gas sensors: Sensing performance and application to early warning of lithium-ion battery electrolyte leakage

The safety issues arising from electrolyte leakage in lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly prominent, rapid detection of trace volatile organic solvents (ethyl methyl carbonate, EMC) is key to early warning. In this study, monodisperse palladium-rhodium (PdRh) alloy nanoparticles were prepared hydrothermally and anchored to the exterior of SnO 2 nanostructures. An impregnation approach yielded a series of PdRh–SnO 2 gas-sensing materials with varying mass fractions. Gas-sensing test results indicate that at 260 °C, the 0.7 wt% PdRh-SnO 2 sensor responds with 87.4–100 ppm EMC. Compared to interfering gases, this sensor demonstrates a high selectivity towards ethyl methyl carbonate, with response/recovery times of 21 s/16 s. These excellent sensing properties arise from the introduction of bimetallic nanoparticles, which significantly refines the surface electronic landscape and active-site population, while the formation of an interfacial Schottky barrier effectively amplifies the gas response signal. Furthermore, through simulation experiments based on an STM-32 microcontroller platform, the sensor exhibits outstanding practical application performance. This study introduces an effective and dependable route to the early identification of electrolyte leakage.