Highly Selective Dimethylamine Sensing Performance of TiO2 Thin Films at Room Temperature

Abstract

To date, reports on metal oxide semiconductors for selective detection of dimethylamine (DMA) is in scarce. Hence in our study, we report titanium oxide (TiO2) as a promising candidate for tuned selectivity towards DMA. Highly uniform TiO2 thin films were successfully deposited on glass substrates using reactive dc magnetron sputtering at various substrate temperatures. Polycrystalline nature of rutile TiO2 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). The uniform surface morphology of the sputtered TiO2 thin films was revealed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). An upsurge in optical band gap from 3.18 to 3.4 eV was observed with increase in substrate temperature. The sensing studies of the sputtered TiO2 thin films exhibited a significant sensor response towards the lower concentration of DMA at ambient temperature. It is deemed that this work will provide an insight to develop DMA sensors based on TiO2 thin films.