Structural Properties and Sensing Performance of CeYxOy Sensing Films for Electrolyte–Insulator–Semiconductor pH Sensors

Autor: Tung-Ming Pan, Chih-Wei Wang, Ching-Yi Chen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-2322
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03209-7
Popis: Abstract In this study we developed CeY x O y sensing membranes displaying super-Nernstian pH-sensitivity for use in electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) pH sensors. We examined the effect of thermal annealing on the structural properties and sensing characteristics of the CeY x O y sensing membranes deposited through reactive co-sputtering onto Si substrates. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the structural, morphological, and chemical features, respectively, of the CeY x O y films after their annealing at 600–900 °C. Among the tested systems, the CeY x O y EIS device prepared with annealing at 800 °C exhibited the highest sensitivity (78.15 mV/pH), the lowest hysteresis voltage (1.4 mV), and the lowest drift rate (0.85 mV/h). Presumably, these annealing conditions optimized the stoichiometry of (CeY)O2 in the film and its surface roughness while suppressing silicate formation at the CeY x O y –Si interface. We attribute the super-Nernstian pH-sensitivity to the incorporation of Y ions in the Ce framework, thereby decreasing the oxidation state Ce (Ce4+ → Ce3+) and resulting in less than one electron transferred per proton in the redox reaction.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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