Sb/W bimetallic modification strategy to optimize nickel oxide for triethylamine detection

Abstract Triethylamine (TEA) is a toxic, flammable volatile organic compound that threatens industrial safety and human health. However, conventional detection techniques suffer from high cost, poor real-time performance, and low response. In this work, we developed an antimony/tungsten (Sb/W) bimetallic modification strategy to optimize NiO for sensitive TEA detection. A series of hierarchical flower-like Sb/W-modified NiO microspheres were fabricated via solvothermal synthesis followed by calcination. Systematic characterizations reveal that Sb/W modification endows NiO with a loose porous microstructure, reduced crystallinity, elevated oxygen vacancy content, and an increased Ni 3+ /Ni 2+ molar ratio. Gas-sensing tests demonstrate that the 3Sb3W-NiO-based sensor achieves a response value of 50 toward 100 ppm TEA at 325 °C, along with excellent selectivity against interfering VOCs and good cycling stability.