Palladium enriched tungsten oxide thin films: an efficient gas sensor for hazardous gases

Palladium enriched tungsten trioxide thin films were prepared by spraying solution of ammonium tungstate as a precursor on glass substrates using spray pyrolysis deposition technique. Palladium chloride as a precursor for palladium was introduced in the precursor solution during refluxing process before deposition. The catalyst Pd with different concentrations was introduced on series of WO3 films. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy were applied to analyze structure and morphology of the deposited thin films. The effect of Pd enrichment on the microstructure, electrical and gas sensing properties of the as-synthesized WO3 thin films was studied. Variation in the electrical conductivity of pure and Pd supplemented WO3 films was measured in air and in the presence of hazardous gases such as NO2, SO2 and NH3. The addition of 3 w/o Pd in WO3 raised the gas response of the film to 1.1 towards NO2 at lowest operating temperature of 100 °C. The film shows adequate response towards SO2 (0.32) and NH3 (0.27) at 200 °C and 225 °C, respectively. The response and recovery time ranged in 0.5–1.25 s and 1–6.7 s respectively even for high gas concentrations upto 750 ppm. Graphical abstract