Sensors
and
Actuators
B
248
(2017)
1029–1036
Contents
lists
available
at
ScienceDirect
Sensors
and
Actuators
B:
Chemical
jo
ur
nal
home
page:
www.elsevier.com/locate/snb
Colloidal
synthesis
of
tungsten
oxide
quantum
dots
for
sensitive
and
selective
H
2
S
gas
detection
Haoxiong
Yu
a
,
Zhilong
Song
a
,
Qian
Liu
a
,
Xiao
Ji
a
,
Jianqiao
Liu
b
,
Songman
Xu
a
,
Hao
Kan
a
,
Baohui
Zhang
a
,
Jingyao
Liu
a
,
Jianjun
Jiang
a
,
Ling
Miao
a,∗
,
Huan
Liu
a,∗
a
School
of
Optical
and
Electronic
Information,
Huazhong
University
of
Science
and
Technology,
1037
Luoyu
Road,
Wuhan,
Hubei
430074,
PR
China
b
College
of
Information
Science
and
Technology,
Dalian
Maritime
University,
Linghai
Road
1,
Dalian,
Liaoning
116026,
PR
China
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
i
n
f
o
Article
history:
Received
14
October
2016
Received
in
revised
form
10
February
2017
Accepted
11
March
2017
Available
online
16
March
2017
Keywords:
Gas
sensor
Tungsten
oxide
Quantum
dot
Colloidal
synthesis
Hydrogen
sulfide
a
b
s
t
r
a
c
t
Tungsten
oxide
(WO
3
)
has
been
intensely
investigated
as
an
important
gas-sensing
materials.
Here
the
sensitive
and
selective
H
2
S
gas
sensors
based
on
WO
3
quantum
dots
that
were
synthesized
via
a
colloidal
process
using
WCl
6
ethanol
solutions
mixed
with
oleic
acid
and
oleylamine
were
demonstrated.
The
solution
processability
of
the
colloidal
WO
3
quantum
dots
enabled
a
room-temperature
sensor
fabrication
without
high-temperature
sintering.
The
optimal
sensor
response
toward
50
ppm
of
H
2
S
is
57
with
the
response
time
of
47
s,
and
the
response
was
fully
recoverable
upon
H
2
S
release
at
80
◦
C.
The
sensing
mechanism
was
discussed
by
using
first-principles
calculation
based
on
density
functional
theory
(DFT).
Their
highly
sensitive
and
fast
response
at
lower
operating
temperature,
combined
with
the
benefit
of
ease
fabrication,
make
the
colloidal
tungsten
oxide
quantum
dots
highly
attractive
for
the
construction
of
low
cost
gas
sensor
with
reduced
power
consumption.
©
2017
Published
by
Elsevier
B.V.
1.
Introduction
Hydrogen
sulfide
is
one
of
the
most
odorous
and
poisonous
gases
released
by
biological
processes.
It
is
also
produced
in
petroleum
fields
and
natural
gas
production,
detrimental
to
both
humans
and
the
environment.
Low
concentration
of
H
2
S
can
irritate
person’s
eyes,
respiratory
system
and
central
nervous
system,
and
H
2
S
with
concentration
higher
than
250
ppm
may
cause
death
[1].
According
to
the
Occupational
Safety
and
Health
Administration
(U.S.
Depart-
ment
of
Labor),
the
acceptable
concentration
limit
for
exposure
to
H
2
S
is
20
ppm
for
an
eight-hour
period,
with
the
maximum
peak
exposure
at
50
ppm
for
10
min.
Therefore,
reliable
gas
sensors
with
a
high
sensitivity
and
selectivity
to
low
concentration
of
H
2
S
are
urgently
required.
Metal
oxide
nanomaterials,
such
as
nanocrystalline
ZnO
[2],
SnO
2
[3],
TiO
2
[4],
Fe
2
O
3
[5],
and
In
2
O
3
[6]
are
promising
candidates
for
gas
sensors
due
to
their
low
cost,
ease
of
use,
high
sensi-
tivity,
fast
response
and
recovery.
Tungsten
oxide
(WO
3
)
exhibit
excellent
chemical
stability
and
sensitive
response
toward
a
wide
variety
of
gases
[7–10].
For
example,
hydrothermal/impregnation-
∗
Corresponding
authors.
E-mail
addresses:
miaoling@mail.hust.edu.cn
(L.
Miao),
huan@mail.hust.edu.cn
(H.
Liu).
synthesized
WO
3
nanorods
functionalized
with
Ru
had
a
high
sensor
response
of
192
(R
a
/R
g
)
to
10
ppm
of
H
2
S
at
350
◦
C
with
the
response
time
being
0.8
s
[11].
The
Pt-functionalized
WO
3
hemi-
tube
networks
had
a
response
of
7
to
2
ppm
of
H
2
S
at
300
◦
C
[12].
The
3D
structure
of
the
WO
3
nanowires
exhibited
a
response
of
100
toward
10
ppm
of
H
2
S
at
300
◦
C
[13].
However,
these
WO
3
gas
sen-
sors
have
to
be
operated
at
elevated
temperatures
above
300
◦
C,
thereby
requiring
high
power
consumption,
and
potential
safety
issues
may
be
caused.
Meanwhile,
their
capability
for
detecting
H
2
S
at
low
concentrations
needs
to
be
improved.
WO
3
nanoparticles-
based
sensor
had
a
response
of
750
toward
10
ppm
of
H
2
S
at
room
temperature,
with
the
response
time
being
several
minutes,
but
the
recovery
time
was
long
as
several
hours
[14].
The
response
of
the
PPy/WO
3
nanocomposites-based
sensor
toward
1
ppm
of
H
2
S
was
1.8
at
room
temperature,
with
the
response
and
recovery
time
being
6
and
210
min,
respectively
[15].
Overall,
most
H
2
S
gas
sen-
sors
based
on
WO
3
exhibit
high
sensitivity
and
fast
recovery
when
they
are
operated
at
elevated
temperatures.
It
remains
a
challenge
to
achieve
high
sensitivity
and
fast
response/recovery
properties
at
relatively
lower
temperatures.
Colloidal
quantum
dots
(CQDs)
have
been
shown
to
be
promis-
ing
candidates
for
applications
in
high
performance
solar
cells
[16],
photodetectors
[17]
and
gas
sensors
[18–20].
CQDs
have
large
and
sensitive
surface,
and
their
excellent
solution
processability
allow
for
precise
control
over
nanoparticle
size
and
facile
integration
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2017.03.044
0925-4005/©
2017
Published
by
Elsevier
B.V.