Control of the acetone sensitive and selective properties of WO 3 nanofibers by doping Co ions: effect of crystal symmetric structure on the responsivity of gas–solid boundaries for gas sensor

Pure and 1–3 mol% Co-doped WO 3 nanofibers were fabricated via a feasible and simple electrospinning method and calcined at 500 °C. Co-doped WO 3 nanofibers displayed mat-like porous network with coarse surface and diameter of approximately 100 nm. 3 % Co-doped WO 3 nanofibers were well crystalized and composed of nano-sized grains (10–20 nm). The phase structure transformed from orthorhombic to monoclinic, which was less symmetric, by doping with Co from 0 to 3 %. The acetone detection limit of 3 % Co–WO 3 nanofiber sensor was 0.25 ppm, and its response to acetone was below 1.5 for healthy humans (<0.8 ppm) and above 2.0 for diabetes patient (>1.8 ppm), making it a promising candidate for human breath diagnosis of diabetes. The high response to acetone of 3 % Co–WO 3 nanofibers was attributed to their porous structure and nano-sized crystal grains. The selective detection toward acetone against other disturbing gases was resulted from the lower symmetric monoclinic phase structure with more oxygen vacancies and structural defects on the surfaces.