Single-atom Pt anchored In2O3 nanorods for sensitive acetone detection using early fire warning
image: Single-atom Pt anchored In2O3 nanorods were constructed, forming an internal electric field, which amplified the resistance changes during the acetone sensing process and achieved a significant improvement in sensitivity.
Credit: Nano Research, Tsinghua University Press.
Indium oxide (In2O3), as a typical semiconductor material for gas sensors, has garnered significant attention due to its tunable wide bandgap (~3.6 eV), excellent chemical stability, and high intrinsic electron mobility. However, despite its excellent theoretical gas sensing performance, the practical application of In2O3 is still limited by issues such as insufficient sensitivity, slow response dynamics, and poor gas selectivity. Single-atom catalysis, as an emerging frontier technology, offers new opportunities to maximize the utilization of active sites and create highly localized electric fields, potentially unlocking the full theoretical gas sensing potential of In2O3 and opening new directions in the design of gas sensing materials.
A team of gas sensors led by Ronghan Wei from Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China, synthesized In2O3 with oxygen vacancies (In2O3-L) and anchored Pt single atoms, enabling real-time detection of low-concentration acetone. The In2O3-L-Pt sensor demonstrated a 5-fold improvement in response to 20 ppm acetone at 220 °C compared to In2O3, exhibiting rapid response/recovery times (2/30 s), ultra-low theoretical detection limits, excellent selectivity, and outstanding long-term stability.
The team published their review in Nano Research on March 2, 2026.
Here is an urgent need for a transformation in the design of gas sensing materials—shifting from rough adjustments in form or composition to more precise atomic-level interface engineering construction Single-atom catalysis, as an emerging frontier technology, offers new opportunities to maximize the utilization of active sites and create highly localized electric fields, potentially unlocking the full theoretical gas sensing potential of In2O3 and opening new directions in the design of gas sensing materials.
Experimental and theoretical indicated that the nanorod-shaped morphology increased the surface area of the sensing material, which was beneficial for the adsorption and activation of oxygen. The introduction of Pt atoms increased the adsorption and reduced the activation energy barrier of acetone. And the introduction of Pt single atoms created a built-in electric field at the interface of In2O3-L-Pt, which increased its EDL thickness, enhanced the resistance change of the sensor during the sensing process, and improved the sensitivity. The field increased the EDL thickness, thereby amplifying the resistance variation during gas sensing and gained a superior sensitivity. The simulation of real-time monitoring of volatile ketone gases during car fires had verified that the developed sensor had potential for application in fire warning.
Other contributors include Jingmin Ge, Zhichuang Ma, Jingfang Ji, Ruipeng Wang, Hao Gao, Kaihang Sun, Pan Liu, Guochen Qi from the School of Mechanics and Safety and College of Chemistry at Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China; and Key Laboratory of Automotive Power Train and Electronic Control at Hubei University of Automotive Technology in Shiyan, China.
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22508367, 52171193) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2024M762994), High-end Foreign Experts Recruitment Program of Henan Province (Grant No. HNGD2023001), High-end Foreign Experts Recruitment Program of China (G2023026020L), Key Research and Development Program of Henan Province ( 241111220400), the Plan for Zhongyuan Scientific Innovation Postdoctoral Talent of Henan Province (Grant No.33220054) and the Key Laboratory of Automotive Power Train and Electronics (Hubei University of Automotive Technology) (Grant No. 2015XTZX0430).
DOI Link:
https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2026.94908507
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 8,000 articles. In 2025 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 IF is 9.4 (8.3, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.