High-Performance Sn<sup>2+</sup>-Doped CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Based Resistance Gas Sensor for the Detection of the Sarin Simulant DMMP
Sarin is an extremely toxic and fast-acting chemical warfare nerve agent that poses a serious threat to human health, necessitating the development of appropriate sensing technologies. Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), which has a chemical structure similar to that of sarin but is non-toxic, is oft...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/10/3042 |
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| Summary: | Sarin is an extremely toxic and fast-acting chemical warfare nerve agent that poses a serious threat to human health, necessitating the development of appropriate sensing technologies. Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), which has a chemical structure similar to that of sarin but is non-toxic, is often used as a simulation agent in related research. Among promising gas-sensing materials, CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> exhibits suitable thermal stability. It is easily produced and has low toxicity. Its performance can be enhanced using heterogeneous ion doping to increase the number of surface defects and content of adsorbed oxygen. Therefore, a solvothermal method was adopted in this study to prepare CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> hollow microspheres that were subsequently doped with different ratios of Sn<sup>4+</sup> or Sn<sup>2+</sup>. Detailed characterizations of the obtained materials were conducted, and the corresponding CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-based gas sensors were fabricated. Their gas-sensing performance against DMMP was studied to analyze and discuss the gas-sensing and sensitization mechanisms associated with Sn<sup>4+</sup> and Sn<sup>2+</sup> doping. The CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-based sensor doped with 2 mol% Sn<sup>2+</sup> exhibited excellent gas-sensing performance in response to a 1 ppm concentration of DMMP, with response and recovery times of 12 and 63 s, respectively. Notably, its response to 1 ppm DMMP (16.27) was 3.3-fold higher than that to 1 ppm 2-CEES (4.98). The doped CuFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> sensor exhibited superior response–recovery characteristics and enhanced moisture resistance compared to the undoped sensor. |
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| ISSN: | 1424-8220 |