Bidimensional versus tridimensional oxygen vacancy diffusion in SnO(2-x) under different gas environments

On the Temporal Stability of Analyte Recognition with an E-Nose Based on a Metal Oxide Sensor Array in Practical Applications

The paper deals with a functional instability of electronic nose (e-nose) units which significantly limits their real-life applications. Here we demonstrate how to approach this issue with example of an e-nose based on a metal oxide sensor array developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany). We consider the instability of e-nose operation at different time scales ranging from minutes to many years. To test the e-nose we employ open-air and headspace sampling of analyte odors. The multivariate recognition algorithm to process the multisensor array signals is based on the linear discriminant analysis method. Accounting for the received results, we argue that the stability of device operation is mostly affected by accidental changes in the ambient air composition. To overcome instabilities, we introduce the add-training procedure which is found to successfully manage both the temporal changes of ambient and the drift of multisensor array properties, even long-term. The method can be easily implemented in practical applications of e-noses and improve prospects for device marketing.

Understanding and Tuning the Intrinsic Hydrophobicity of Rare-Earth Oxides: A DFT+U Study

Rare-earth oxides (REOs) possess a remarkable intrinsic hydrophobicity, making them candidates for a myriad of applications. Although the superhydrophobicity of REOs has been explored experimentally, the atomistic details of the structure at the oxide-water interface are still not well understood. In this work, we report a density functional theory study of the interaction between water and CeO2, Nd2O3, and α-Al2O3 to explain their different wettability. The wetting of the metal oxide surface is controlled by geometric and electronic factors. While the electronic term is related to the acid-base properties of the surface layer, the geometric factor depends on the matching between adsorption sites and oxygen atoms from the hexagonal water network. For all the metal oxides considered here, water dissociation is confined to the first oxide-water layer. Hydroxyl groups on α-Al2O3 are responsible for the strong oxide-water interaction, and thus, both Al- and hydroxyl-terminated wet. On CeO2, the intrinsic hydrophobicity of the clean surface disappears when lattice hydroxyl groups (created by the reaction of water with oxygen vacancies) are present as they dominate the interaction and drive wetting. Therefore, hydroxyls may convert a intrinsic nonwetting surface into a wetting one. Finally, we also report that surface modifications, like cation substitution, do not change the acid-base character of the surface, and thus they show the same nonwetting properties as native CeO2 or Nd2O3.

Adsorption and reactions of O2 on anatase TiO2

CONSPECTUS: The interaction of molecular oxygen with titanium dioxide (TiO2) surfaces plays a key role in many technologically important processes such as catalytic oxidation reactions, chemical sensing, and photocatalysis. While O2 interacts weakly with fully oxidized TiO2, excess electrons are often present in TiO2 samples. These excess electrons originate from intrinsic reducing defects (oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials), doping, or photoexcitation and form polaronic Ti(3+) states in the band gap near the bottom of the conduction band. Oxygen adsorption involves the transfer of one or more of these excess electrons to an O2 molecule at the TiO2 surface. This results in an adsorbed superoxo (O2(-)) or peroxo (O2(2-)) species or in molecular dissociation and formation of two oxygen adatoms (2 × O(2-)). Oxygen adsorption is also the first step toward oxygen incorporation, a fundamental reaction that strongly affects the chemical properties and charge-carrier densities; for instance, it can transform the material from an n-type semiconductor to a poor electronic conductor. In this Account, we present an overview of recent theoretical work on O2 adsorption and reactions on the reduced anatase (101) surface. Anatase is the TiO2 polymorph that is generally considered most active in photocatalysis. Experiments on anatase powders have shown that the properties of photoexcited electrons are similar to those of excess electrons from reducing defects, and therefore, oxygen on reduced anatase is also a model system for studying the role of O2 in photocatalysis. Experimentally, the characteristic Ti(3+) defect states disappear after adsorption of molecular oxygen, which indicates that the excess electrons are indeed trapped by O2. Moreover, superoxide surface species associated with two different cation surface sites, possibly a regular cation site and a cation close to an anion vacancy, were identified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. On the theoretical side, however, density functional theory studies have consistently found that it is energetically more favorable for O2 to adsorb in the peroxo form rather than the superoxo form. As a result, obtaining a detailed understanding of the nature of the observed superoxide species has proven difficult for many years. On reduced anatase (101), both oxygen vacancies and Ti interstitials have been shown to reside exclusively in the susbsurface. We discuss how reaction of O2 with a subsurface O vacancy heals the vacancy while leading to the formation of a surface bridging dimer defect. Similarly, the interaction of O2 with a Ti interstitial causes migration of this defect to the surface and the formation of a surface TiO2 cluster. Finally, we analyze the peroxo and superoxo states of the adsorbed molecule. On the basis of periodic hybrid functional calculations of interfacial electron transfer between reduced anatase and O2, we show that the peroxide form, while energetically more stable, is kinetically less favorable than the superoxide form. The existence of a kinetic barrier between the superoxo and peroxo states is essential for explaining a variety of experimental observations.

Chemical to electrical transduction mechanisms from single metal oxide nanowire measurements: response time constant analysis

Insight into chemical to electrical transduction mechanisms taking place at the surface of a single metal oxide nanowire is reported due to its outstanding importance for determining the characteristics of resistive solid state gas sensors. The surface chemical reaction kinetics is discussed considering competitiveness phenomena among different active sites and gas species on the nanowire taken as a metal oxide monocrystal at the nanoscale level. Experimental results for different representative gas molecules are shown to determine and understand sensor selectivity. The reported gas species are carbon monoxide and water vapour as general reference molecules, and ethanol and ammonia species as special references for gas-solid interactions, respectively, on acid and basic sites. Kinetic properties are proposed as particular signatures for each of the possible surface chemical reactions, allowing their identification and distinction. Likewise, features such as thermal inertia limitation and effects of the molecular and monoatomic absorbed oxygen are also estimated considering operation working modes based on nanowire self-heating. Furthermore, the applicability of a surface electrical field on a one-dimensional metal oxide nanostructure to enhance the surface ionization of the absorbed molecules is also reviewed as a new type of metal oxide based nanosensor for achieving improved selectivity.