An ITO/Au/ITO Thin Film Gas Sensor for Methanol Detection at Room Temperature

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films with a 5 nm thick Au interlayer were prepared on glass substrates. The effects of the Au interlayer on the gas sensitivity for detecting methanol vapors were investigated at room temperature. The conductivity of the film sensor increased upon exposure to methanol vapor and the sensitivity also increased proportionally with the methanol vapor concentration. In terms of the sensitivity measurements, the ITO film sensor with an Au interlayer shows a higher sensitivity than that of the conventional ITO film sensor. This approach is promising in gaining improvement in the performance of ITO gas sensors used for the detection of methanol vapor at room temperature.