Effect of the deposition condition for carbon nanotube thin films on gas sensing performance

Abstract

A simple fabrication process for single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based sensors was reported. By using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of alcohol-ferrocene mist, SWCNT films could be directly deposited on patterned Al electrodes to fabricate a sensor. The effects of depositing position along the inner quartz reactor on the properties of SWGNT films (morphology, structure and purity) and the characteristics of sensors (response and reproducibility) were investigated. The SWCNT-film-based sensors fabricated at low substrate temperatures of 200-700 °C exhibited a reasonably good sensitivity to saturated organic vapor (ethanol, methanol and acetone) and showed a fair reproducibility even operated at a room temperature (∼28 °C). Copyright © 2008 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.