Semiconductor Sensors of Gases Based on Pd/SnO.sub.2-Sb.sub.2O.sub.5 Materials

Palladium-containing materials based on antimony-doped tin dioxide have been developed to create a gas-sensitive layer of semiconductor sensors on a number of small molecules. Their catalytic activity in the CH.sub.4, CO, and H.sub.2 oxidation reactions performed according to the Eley-Rideal mechanism has been studied. The sensors based on the obtained materials show a significant response to CO, H.sub.2, and light hydrocarbons (CH.sub.4, C.sub.2H.sub.6, C.sub.2H.sub.2), while the dependence of the sensor response value of each of these gases on the palladium content is extreme. It is established that the optimal operating temperature of the sensor, which corresponds to the maximum of its response, is determined by the reactivity of the studied gases.