Abstract
Gas sensors are important devices in various industrial and environmental monitoring applications. Toluene and chloroform are harmful non-polar gases that are produced in various combustion processes and are associated with air pollution and respiratory diseases. Porous silicon (PS) has shown promising results as a material for ammonia and ethanol gas sensing applications. However, there is potential for further improvement by optimizing their surface properties for non-polar gas sensing applications. Chemical treatment has been widely utilized to modify the surface characteristics of materials, including semiconductors, for various applications. We have deposited nickel (Ni) layer on PS surface using chemical treatment. In comparison to the PS sample, it was discovered that the Ni-deposited PS sample was more sensitive to 0.1 ppm concentrations of non-polar toluene and chloroform vapours, increasing from 1% to 39% and 32.6%, respectively. This study provides valuable insights into the surface modification techniques for enhancing the performance of gas sensors, which can have a significant impact on the development of advanced sensing technologies for environmental and industrial applications.