Conduction mechanism and gas sensing properties of CoFe2O4 nanocomposite thick films for H2S gas.

Nanocrystalline 10 wt% Ni and 0.2 wt% Sm doped CoFe(2)O(4) was prepared by sol-gel citrate method and calcined at different temperatures. The CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrical properties were studied by impedance analysis. The XRD of CoFe(2)O(4) shows cubic structure with grain growth of 40 nm. The ac conductivity was studied for the sample 10 wt% Ni and 0.2 wt% Sm doped CoFe(2)O(4) calcined at 650°C, at temperature range from 100 to 700°C over a wide range of frequencies from 50 Hz to 200 kHz. The result indicates that the ac conductivity depend on temperature, frequency and concentration of dopant. Nanocrystalline 10 wt% Ni and 0.2 wt% Sm doped CoFe(2)O(4) was found to be good H(2)S sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity.