TIN OXIDE THIN FILMS GROWN BY ACRYLAMIDE SOL GEL DIP COATING AND THEIR H2S GAS DETECTION CHARACTERISTICS

SnO2 films were deposited by the acrylamide sol gel dip coating method. The formed films were post heat treated at different temperatures in the range of 350°C-525°C for formation of SnO2. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Surface morphological studies indicated that the grain size and surface roughness increase with post heat treatment temperature.  The films were tested for their response to H2S gas in the concentration range of 0 to 250 ppm and in the operating temperature in the range of 80 - 170°C. All the films had a very fast response on exposure to H2S gas. The recovery times were in the range of 40-82 s.