CHAPTER 3 – CO2 Response of Nanostructured CoSb2O6 Synthesized by a Nonaqueous Coprecipitation Method

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the CO2 response of nanostructured CoSb2O6 synthesized by a nonaqueous coprecipitation method. CO2 plays an important role in preserving the average atmospheric temperature; the emission of this gas in large amounts during recent decades is producing a phenomenon of great concern to mankind, global warming. With the goal of developing reliable solid-state gas sensors, notable scientific research has been made worldwide. As a result, several compounds such as SnO2, ZnO, WO3, TiO2, and other inorganic oxides have been intensively tested for the detection of toxic gases like CO and NO2. In addition to the oxides already mentioned, several oxides possessing different crystal structures have been studied for gas-sensing purposes. A nonaqueous coprecipitation method based on PVP in ethyl alcohol was used for the preparation of CoSb2O6. Using this simple method, CoSb2O6 was obtained at a low calcination temperature, with good control on the stoichiometry. The synthesis of nanostructured CoSb2O6 by a nonaqueous coprecipitation method using polyvinyl pyrrolidol (PVP), cobalt nitrate, and antimony trichloride in ethyl alcohol is also discussed in this chapter. The relationship between the PVP concentration in solution and the surface morphology is investigated in the study. The potential application of nanostructured CoSb2O6, as an environmental gas-sensor material, is studied by measuring the dynamic variation of resistance in air, CO2, and O2. The CO2-sensing response is also studied by recording intensity vs. voltage graphs at different CO2 concentrations.