Multi-walled carbon nanotube arrays for gas sensing applications

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) arrays fabricated by xylene pyrolysis in anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates without the use of a catalyst were integrated into a resistive sensor design. Steady state sensitivities as high as 5% and 10% for 100 ppm of NH₃ and NO ₂, respectively, at a flow rate of 750 sccm were observed. A thin layer of amorphous carbon (5-50 nm), formed on both sides of the template during xylene pyrolysis, was part of the sensor design. The thickness of the conducting amorphous carbon layers was found to play a crucial role in determining the sensitivity of the resistive sensor. A study was undertaken to elucidate (i) the dependence of sensitivity on the thickness of amorphous carbon layers, (ii) the effect of UV light on gas desorption characteristics and (iii) the dependence of room temperature sensitivity on different NH₃ flow rates. Variations in sensor resistance with exposure to oxidizing and reducing gases are explained on the basis of charge transfer between the analytes and the CNTs which were modeled as p-type semiconductors.