Thin-wall assembled SnO₂ fibers functionalized by catalytic Pt nanoparticles and their superior exhaled-breath-sensing properties for the diagnosis of diabetes

Hierarchical SnO₂ fibers assembled from wrinkled thin tubes are synthesized by controlling the microphase separation between tin precursors and polymers, by varying flow rates during electrospinning and a subsequent heat treatment. The inner and outer SnO₂ tubes have a number of elongated open pores ranging from 10 nm to 500 nm in length along the fiber direction, enabling fast transport of gas molecules to the entire thin-walled sensing layers. These features admit exhaled gases such as acetone and toluene, which are markers used for the diagnosis of diabetes and lung cancer. The open tubular structures facilitated the uniform coating of catalytic Pt nanoparticles onto the inner SnO₂ layers. Highly porous SnO₂ fibers synthesized at a high flow rate show five-fold higher acetone responses than densely packed SnO₂ fibers synthesized at a low flow rate. Interestingly, thin-wall assembled SnO₂ fibers functionalized by Pt particles exhibit a dramatically shortened gas response time compared to that of un-doped SnO₂ fibers, even at low acetone concentrations. Moreover, Pt-decorated SnO₂ fibers significantly enhance toluene response. These results demonstrate the novel and practical feasibility of thin-wall assembled metal oxide based breath sensors for the accurate diagnosis of diabetes and potential detection of lung cancer. Electrospun fibers with wrinkled SnO₂ walls composed of a number of elongated openings and pores are synthesized by a microphase separation controlled by the variation of flow rates. The unique structure enables superior acetone sensing performance due to the open pore structure, which provides fast transport and penetration of exhaled gases into the entire sensing layers.