Hollow cauliflower-like WO3 nanostructures: Hydrothermal synthesis and their CO sensing properties

Abstract Hollow cauliflower-like WO 3 nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process. The 3D novel structure is assembled by lots of non-uniform hexagonal WO 3 nanorods, which shows the porosity surface and the hollow interiors. According to the time-dependent morphology evolution process, a possible formation mechanism was proposed. Gas sensing investigations reveal that the sample sensor exhibits excellent CO sensing properties at 270 °C, which may substantially benefit from the (001) reactive surfaces of hexagonal phase and the hollow porous structure.