PdRh-Sensitized Iron Oxide Ultrathin Film Sensors and Mechanistic Investigation by Operando TEM and DFT Calculation

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) thin films are of critical importance to both fundamental research and practical applications of gas sensors. Herein, a high-performance H2 sensor based on palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh) co-functionalized Fe2 O3 films with an ultrathin thickness of 8.9 nm deposited by using atomic layer deposition is reported. The sensor delivers an exceptional response of 105.9 toward 10 ppm H2 at 230 °C, as well as high selectivity, immunity to humidity, and low detection limit (43 ppb), which are superior to the reported MOS sensors. Importantly, the Fe2 O3 film sensor under dynamic H2 detection is for the first time observed by operando transmission electron microscopy, which provides deterministic evidence for structure evolution of MOS during sensing reactions. To further reveal the sensing mechanism, density functional theory calculations are performed to elucidate the sensitization effect of PdRh catalysts. Mechanistic studies suggest that Pd promotes the adsorption and dissociation of H2 to generate PdHx , while Rh promotes the dissociation of oxygen adsorbed on the surface, thereby jointly promoting the redox reactions on the films. A wireless H2 detection system is also successfully demonstrated using the thin film sensors, certifying a great potential of the strategy to practical sensors.