Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Thin films of niobium pentoxide were deposited on quartz plates by spin-coating a solution of niobium ethoxide in ethanol. The films were tested as potential selective gas sensors by exposing them to various reducing environments. It was found that they were selective and sensitive to ammonia. This sensitivity was attributed to the formation of donor-acceptor complexes between chemisorbed ammonia and Lewis acid sites on the solid.