Highly sensitive carbon nanotube-embedding gas sensors operating at atmospheric pressure

Highly sensitive palladium (Pd) decorated carbon nanotube (CNT) embedding gas sensors working at atmospheric pressure were fabricated. Two types of gas sensors of bare CNTs and Pd nanoparticle decorated CNTs were synthesized by dielectrophoresis. The CNT-containing solution was dropped onto the patterned-platinum electrodes with ac bias. The CNT-embedding sensors sensitively detected 100 ppb level of NO₂ in an atmospheric pressure condition. The Pd decoration on CNTs forming the depletion region was found to be an effective way to enhance the sensor response by the control of carrier mobility and density. Raman spectroscopy revealed a low defect ratio of D/G ^- by heat treatment at 450 °C. Moreover, it was investigated that there exists an optimum temperature to enhance the sensor response.