Silver Tungstate Nanoparticles for the Detection of Ethanol, Ammonia and Acetone Gases

The design and fabrication of low-cost and fast-response α-Ag 2 WO 4 nanoparticle sensors for the detection of gases like ethanol, ammonia and acetone are reported. Silver tungstate nanocrystals were prepared by a chemical precipitation method, and were characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and conductometric methods. The gas-sensing characteristics of α-Ag 2 WO 4 nanoparticles fabricated in the form of thin wafers without any sensitizer coating are reported. The sensor responses of α-Ag 2 WO 4 nanoparticles for ethanol, ammonia and acetone gases were measured as a function of temperature. All the gases showed excellent and fast sensor responses, good repeatability and short recovery times for α-Ag 2 WO 4 nanoparticles.