Abstract
Nano-indium-coated ZnO:In thick films were prepared by a hydrothermal method. ZnO:In gas sensors were fabricated by a screen printing method on alumina substrates. The gas sensing properties of the gas sensors were investigated for hydrocarbon gas. The effects of the indium concentration of the ZnO:In gas sensors on the structural and morphological properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. XRD patterns revealed that the ZnO:In with wurtzite structure was grown with (1 0 0), (0 0 2), and (1 0 1) peaks. The quantity of In coating on the ZnO surface increased with increasing In concentration. The sensitivity of the ZnO:In sensors was measured for 5 ppm $CH_4$ gas and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in target gases. The highest sensitivity to $CH_4$ gas and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas of the ZnO:In sensors was observed at the In 6 wt%. The response and recovery times of the 6 wt% indiumcoated ZnO:In gas sensors were 19 s and 12 s, respectively.