SnO2 nanowires ozone sensor

• Grant number: 23/02570-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Adenilson José Chiquito
• Grantee: Giovanni Lucas Palotta
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to produce and characterize an electronic device based on SnO2 nanowires for ozone detection. It is proposed to investigate the electronic properties of devices based on a single nanowire and on a nanowire film and their responses when subjected to different environments in which temperature, time of exposure to the gas of interest and illumination conditions will be controlled using ultraviolet light. Transport experiments should be conducted allowing the analysis of the conduction mechanisms and their alterations that lead to the detection of ozone, exploring the influence of the presence of vacancies and the properties of the metal-semiconductor interfaces that define the electrical contacts. The activities proposed to the candidate aim both at learning basic techniques for producing samples, building devices and studying their properties, as well as analyzing and interpreting the electronic properties presented by the devices and their consequent use as a sensor.