Nanostructured W–Cr Janus Heterojunctions Prepared by Glancing Angle Deposition for Gas Sensing
In this paper, a nanostructured W–Cr Janus thin film was synthesized using the GLancing Angle Deposition cosputtering technique. The film was elaborated using pure W and Cr targets positioned at equal and fixed deposition angles of 80°, resulting in vertically aligned bicomponent nanocolumns. The morphological and crystallographic properties of the W–Cr Janus thin film were studied before and after annealing treatment in air, as high as 500 °C. Investigations revealed that annealing induces the formation of a fully oxidized surface envelope composed of p-type Cr2O3 and n-type WO3, which nonuniformly covers the Janus nanocolumns. The chemical gas sensor based on the annealed W–Cr Janus thin film demonstrated promising sensing performances, achieving detection limits of approximately 37 ± 5, 26 ± 5, and 36 ± 5 ppb for benzene, formaldehyde, and propanol, respectively. Beyond representing a technical advancement in the field of cosputtered thin films, this study underscores the potential of this bicomponent heterojunction structure for the detection of trace-level air pollutants.
Authors
- Aurélien Besnard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8070-7000)
- Nicolas Geoffroy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8289-4612)
- J. Jiménez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4303-3083)
- Jean-Baptiste Sanchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3303-0973)
- Antonio J. Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3776-7080)
- Olivier Heintz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5512-4973)
- Hamidreza Gerami
- M.C. Marco de Lucas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5135-4026)
- Francisco M. Morales (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8341-2478)
- Roland Salut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0881-7395)
- V. Potin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4462-3544)
- Anna Krystianiak
- Nicolas Martin
- Guillem Vilar Soler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8574-8443)
Institutions
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (FR)
- Universidad de Cádiz (ES)
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne (FR)
- Université Bourgogne Europe (FR)
- Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Nano Materials
- Published
- 2025-11-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.5c04409
- Primary Topic
- Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Junta de Andalucía
- Servicios Centrales de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica