Nano-sized SmFeO3 particles are prepared by the pyrolysis of heteronuclear cyano-complex, Sm[Fe(CN)6]·4H2O at a temperature of 600 °C in ozone. The low temperature decomposition followed in ozone successfully yielded fine particles with a high specific surface area of 20.0 m3/g (sample A). The fine particles were classified into further smaller particles with a unimodal size distribution and this process yielded a high specific surface area of 26.0 m3/g (sample B). These semiconducting powders were deposited on a sensor electrode by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and tested on their sensing properties to VOCs. The sensors consisting of samples A and B both showed good responses to ethanol at 285 and 320 °C. The sensor with sample B showed extraordinarily good selectivity of ethanol for toluene at 320 °C. This could be because the detection film of sample B with moderately grown particles selectively reduced the reaction activity of toluene. The sensor with sample B also exhibited good selectivity of ethanol for hexane and dichloromethane.
Keywords: SmFeO3; ozone; p-type semiconducting sensor; volatile organic compounds (VOCs).