Alcohol and organic vapours sensor based on nano-sized TiO/sub 2/ thin film

We have studied the gas sensing properties of nanosized TiO/sub 2/ thin films undoped and with 1% Nb/sub 2/O/sub 5/ and 0.1, 0.5% Pt doping towards ethanol, trichloroethylene and toluene. The sensors were prepared using a sol-gel process on alumina substrates. Some possible interfering gases were tested and the sensitivity was negligible with respect to the target gases responses. Doping with a high concentration of Pt enhances the response by about ten times towards toluene and ethanol. Doping at lower concentrations of platinum enhances the selectivity toward toluene with respect to the undoped samples.