Copper-Containing Films Obtained by the Simple Citrate Sol–Gel Route for NO2 Detection: Adsorption and Kinetic Study

Abstract

The citrate sol–gel method was utilized for the fabrication of copper-containing films sensitive to NO2 gas. Effect of annealing temperature on the film phase composition, morphology, and sensor response was studied. X-ray diffraction reveals the formation of Cu2Cl(OH)3 phase at 250 °C and the CuO phase at 350 and 500 °C. It was found out that the films annealed at 250 °C and 350 °C showed the best sensor characteristics. The influence of thermal degradation on the probability of percolation effect in films and its connection to a decrease of gas sensitivity was studied. The kinetics of the NO2 gas adsorption on the film’s surface was described following the Elovich model. Activation energy estimated from the ln(S) vs. 1/T plots was 252 and 30 kJ/mol for the films annealed at 250 and 350 °C, respectively.