Simulation of the effect of fractional dimension on tin-oxide-based gas sensors

✍ Scribed by D.S. Vlachos; J.N. Avaritsiotis

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 548 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0925-4005
• DOI: 10.1016/0925-4005(95)85106-2

✦ Synopsis

The effect of the fractional dimension of a tin-oxide surface on the sensing mechanism is studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation in the case of CO. The dimension of the active surface has been found to be connected to both the sensitivity and the recovery rate of sensor resistance after CO removal. A method of producing fractal surfaces with different dimensions is presented. Experimentally observed large recovery times are explained on the basis of a small fractal dimension. On the other hand, the observed instabilities of tin-oxide-based thick-film gas sensors are explained by considering the change of surface dimension caused by local reduction of tin oxide in the presence of CO.