A novel approach for the preparation of metal oxide/CNTs composites for sensing applications

Abstract

In this report we describe the preparation of metal oxide coated-carbon nanotubes (MeOx/CNTs) with a controlled thickness of the inorganic coating by a new atomic layer deposition (ALD) process based on non-aqueous sol-gel reactions. The as deposited films are amorphous and the coatings on the inside and outside the nanotube present a high conformality. The electrical and sensing properties of thin films of VOx-coated carbon nanotubes prepared by ALD have been investigated. The developed VOx/CNTs-based sensor devices show enhanced performance for NO2 monitoring compared to uncoated CNTs-based sensors. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.