Au-Decorated SnO ₂ Nanosheet for Rapid and ppb-Level Triethylamine Detection

Long-term or chronic exposure to triethylamine (TEA) above certain concentration thresholds may cause serious health issues such as pulmonary edema and even death. Hence, the rapid and timely monitoring of TEA is of paramount importance. In this work, SnO 2 nanosheets were grown in situ on Al 2 O 3 tubes via a facile hydrothermal route. The gas-sensing performance was further enhanced by leveraging the Schottky barrier effect and the catalytic activity of Au nanoparticles. The resulting Au/SnO 2 sensor demonstrates a parts-per-billion-level detection limit for TEA. At an operating temperature of 180 °C, it delivers an ultrahigh response (>400) to 5 ppm of TEA, together with outstanding selectivity and ultrafast response/recovery kinetics. This study provides a promising strategy for developing high-performance gas sensors capable of rapid and sensitive TEA monitoring at trace concentrations.