Bimetallic MOF derived mesoporous structure of Ru doped SnO2 enable high-sensitivity gas sensors for triethylamine in high humidity

Mesoporous metal oxides have been reported as promising semiconductor gas sensing materials, showing great potential in detecting volatile organic compound (VOC) pollutants in the air. Here, we present the use of mesoporous Ru doped SnO2 oxide semiconductor, derived from a bimetallic organic framework (MOF), as a composite material for high-performance TEA gas sensing. Mesoporous structure of bimetallic MOF-derived composites synthesised using a one-step method, has a high porosity and large specific surface area (69.48 m2 g−1), which can enhance the number of sensing reaction sites and improve its capturing ability for the target gas. Moreover, the in-situ substitution of Ru3+ ions for Sn4+ ions can adjust the carrier concentration. Therefore, the synthesized mesoporous 0.4 mol% Ru-SnMOF@SnO2 exhibits high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, fast response kinetics, and good long-term stability for TEA sensing at 250 °C. Exceptionally, there is still an impressive response (S = 125.5–100 ppm) to triethylamine at 80 % RH. The relative humidity was set at 25 °C.