Detection of nitrogen dioxide down to ppb levels using flower-like tungsten oxide nanostructures under different annealing temperatures.

3D hierarchical flower-like WO3·0.33H2O nanostructures were synthesized via a facile solvothermal method without using any template or surfactant. After annealed at high temperature, the as-prepared WO3·0.33H2O would partly or fully transform into monoclinic WO3 with the morphology almost unchanged. Gas sensing properties of the sensor based on these flower-like nanostructures with the relationship of annealing temperature were also investigated systematically. The experiment results indicate the sensor shows highest response to NO2 when the annealing temperature is 500°C. At the same time, the detection limit can be as low as ∼5ppb level. Thus, the novel flower-like nanostructures might be a promising material for designing NO2 gas sensor with high performance.