Modification of chromium oxide nanofibers by polyoxometalate electron acceptor doping for enhancement of ethanol gas detectability

[Display omitted] •First demonstration of the influence of POMs on gas sensing performance of Cr2O3.•The decoration of POMs enhanced the ethanol gas-sensing performance of Cr2O3.•The Cr2O3/PW12 sensor exhibit a high response of 7.65 to 100 ppm ethanol.•The sensing response is higher than much reported Cr2O3-based ethanol sensors.•PW12 can work as electron acceptors and increase carrier mobility. Herein, we introduced polyoxometalates (POMs) as electron acceptors into a typical gas sensitive material Cr2O3 for the first time. A series of Cr2O3/PW12 composite gas sensors were fabricated. The sensing properties to ethanol vapor were studied. The optimized Cr2O3/5%PW12 sensor exhibited a response of 7.65 to 100 ppm ethanol, which is much higher than pure Cr2O3. The improvement can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the two components. As an electron acceptor, PW12 promotes carrier migration between PW12 and Cr2O3, thereby improving the gas sensing performance of Cr2O3. This work promotes the practical application of polyoxometalate in sensing field.