ИСТИНА

Upon detection of oxidizing gases by semiconductor gas sensors, the signal generation occurs due to adsorption of analyte molecules on the metal oxide surface, which is accompanied by the localization of electrons on the adsorbed species. At room temperature this process is kinetically irreversible. The desorption of analyte and recovery of electrophysical properties of the sensitive material to the initial state occurs under elevated temperature. The replacement of thermal heating with visible light photoactivation can significantly reduce the power consumption of the sensor. Bulk TCO – SnO2, ZnO, In2O3, are transparent in this spectral range. Photosensitive TCO-based hybrid materials contain photosensitizers, the role of which consists in shifting the optical sensitivity range towards larger wavelengths. Selected organic dyes – Ru(II) complexes with macrocyclic organic ligands, are characterized by absorption in the visible spectral range with high extinction coefficients. The composition and design of the ligand platform play a critical role of controlling the activities of the photosensitizers. Sensor measurements demonstrated that TCO-based hybrid materials can be used for oxidizing gases detection under visible light illumination without thermal heating.