Fast Photoresponse and Long Lifetime UV Photodetectors and Field Emitters Based on ZnO/Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Films

We have designed photodetectors and UV field emitters based on a combination of ZnO nanowires/nanorods (ZNRs) and bilayer diamond films in a metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) structure. The ZNRs were fabricated on different diamond films and systematic investigations showed an ultra‐high photoconductive response from ZNRs prepared on ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) operating at a lower voltage of 2 V. We found that the ZNRs/UNCD photodetector (PD) has improved field emission properties and a reduced turn‐on field of 2.9 V μm^?1 with the highest electron field emission (EFE) by simply illuminating the sample with ultraviolet (UV) light. The photoresponse (I_photo/I_dark) behavior of the ZNRs/UNCD PD exhibits a much higher photoresponse (912) than bare ZNRs (229), ZNRs/nanocrystalline diamond (NCD; 518), and ZNRs/microcrystalline diamond (MCD; 325) under illumination at λ=365 nm. A photodetector with UNCD films offers superior stability and a longer lifetime compared with carbon materials and bare ZNRs. The lifetime stability of the ZNRs/UNCD‐based device is about 410 min, which is markedly superior to devices that use bare ZNRs (92 min). The ZNRs/UNCD PD possesses excellent photoresponse properties with improved lifetime and stability; in addition, ZNRs/UNCD‐based UV emitters have great potential for applications such as cathodes in flat‐panel displays and microplasma display devices.     

NASICON-based H2 Sensor Using CoCrMnO4 Insensitive Reference Electrode and Buried Au Sensing Electrode

This work focuses on the H2 sensing performance of the sensor with buried Au sensing electrode and spi- nel-type oxide CoCrMnO4 insensitive reference electrode within sodium super ionic conductor（NASICON） film. The sensor showed the highest response to H2 gas on the insensitive material sintering at 800 ~C. Compared with those of the traditional structure device, the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor using buried sensing electrode were greatly improved, giving a response of-177 mV in 9x10 5 g/L H2, which was about 3.5 times higher than that of sensors with traditional structure. Moreover, the AV value of the sensing device exhibited linear relationship to the logarithm of H2 concentration and the sensitivity（slope） was -135 mV/decade. A sensing mechanism related to the mixed potential was proposed for the present sensor.     

Laser-ablated violet phosphorus/graphene heterojunction as ultrasensitive ppb-level room-temperature NO sensor

Two dimensional(2D) materials are promising gas sensing materials, but the most of them need to be heated to show promising sensing performance. Sensing structures with high sensing performance at room-temperature are urgent. Here, another 2D material, violet phosphorus(VP) nanoflake is investigated as gas sensing material. The VP nanoflakes have been effectively ablated to have layers of 1–5 layers by laser ablation in glycol. The VP nanoflakes are combined with graphene to form VP/G heterostru...     

NiO@ZnO heterostructured nanotubes: coelectrospinning fabrication, characterization, and highly enhanced gas sensing properties

Novel NiO@ZnO heterostructured nanotubes (NTs) were fabricated by the coelectrospinning method, consisting of external hexagonal ZnO shell and internal cubic NiO NTs. They are carefully investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. A reasonable formation mechanism of the hierarchical NiO@ZnO NTs is proposed, which is discussed from the view of degradation temperature of different polymers and the amount of inorganic salts. They were then explored for fabrication of H(2)S gas sensors. The gas sensing test reveals that compared with the pure ZnO, NiO, and the ZnO-NiO mixed gas sensors, hierarchical gas sensor exhibits highly improved sensing performances to dilute hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) gas. The response of the optimum NiO@ZnO NTs sensor to 50 ppm H(2)S increases as high as 2.7-23.7 times compared to the other sensors, whereas the response and recovery times also become shorter considerably. These enhanced gas sensing properties are closely related to the change of nanostructure and activity of ZnO and NiO nanocrystals as well as combination of homo- and heterointerfaces in the optimum gas sensor, which are confirmed by a series of well-designed experiments.     

Development and investigation of the flexible hydrogen sensor based on ZnO-decorated Sb2O3 nanobelts

Hydrogen is regarded as the next-gen fuel for vehicles to avoid the emission of toxic gases, which needs a continuous monitoring of the concentration level. In the design of the H₂ sensor, especially of flexible type, a sensing layer will be blended, which affects the sensing performance of the device. Based on this concern, the present investigation is carried out to understand the effect of the bending angle toward the sensing performance of bare and ZnO (n-type)-decorated Sb₂O₃ (p-type) nanobelt–based sensors for hydrogen gas. The sensing element was prepared by the thermal chemical vapor deposition followed by the drop-casting method. Furthermore, the role of the zinc precursor (molar concentration—1 M–3 M) on the preparation of ZnO-decorated Sb₂O₃ nanobelts was studied. Various techniques were used to confirm the formation of ZnO-decorated nanobelts such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). From these analyses, 1 M concentration of the zinc precursor shows uniform distribution of nanoparticles over the surface of Sb₂O₃ nanobelts. However, agglomeration was observed when the concentration of the zinc precursor increases from 1 M to 3 M. Later, the prepared nanobelts were deposited on the OverHead Projector (OHP) sheet by the doctor blade method for sensing hydrogen gas at 100 °C at a concentration of 1000–3000 ppm. In addition to it, the effect of the substrate bending angle (0°, 45°, 60°, and 90°) was analyzed at a fixed concentration of H₂ gas (1000 ppm). From this study, it is clear that the highest sensing response was achieved for 1 M decorated nanobelts compared with bare as well as other concentrations because of uniform distribution of nanoparticles on the surface of nanobelts. Moreover, the prepared sample demonstrates better sensing performance with the bending of substrates, which suggests that the prepared sensor could be used for flexible electronic devices. The prepared nanobelts show a good H₂ gas–sensing response even with bending of the substrates. The work suggests that the prepared sensor is applicable for flexible electronic devices.     

A new hydrogen cyanide chemiresistor gas sensor based on graphene quantum dots

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), synthesised via controlled carbonisation of citric acid, were reduced by hydrazine hydrate and then used as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas sensors. Checking of the reduction step by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques revealed that most of the oxygen-containing functional groups were removed from the GQDs. It was observed the reduction process is necessary for sensitising of GQDs for HCN gas. The electrical resistance of the reduced GQDs was increased as a result of their exposure to HCN gas. Accepting a p-type semiconducting characteristic for GQD material, the above-mentioned behaviour suggested electron donation from HCN to GQD. The sensor response to HCN gas was reversible, suggesting a reversible adsorption/desorption phenomenon of HCN to the GQDs. The response as well as the recovery time of the sensor was different depending on the HCN concentration tested. The developed sensor showed linear HCN response from 1 to 100 ppm. The detection limit of the sensor was estimated to be 0.6 ppm (S/N). Relative standard deviation f HCN determination by the developed sensor was calculated to be 5.7% (n = 4, [HCN] = 50 ppm). The sensor response was did not vary significantly within 6 months.     

Indium-organic framework CPP-3（In） derived Ag/In2O3 porous hexagonal tubes for H2S detection at low temperature

There is a great demand for high-performance hydrogen sulfide（H₂S） sensors with low operating temperatures. Ag/In₂O₃ hexagonal tubes with different proportions were prepared by the calcination of Ag+-impregnated indium-organic frameworks(CPP-3（In）), and the developed sensors exhibit enhanced gassensing performance toward H₂S. Gas sensing measurements indicate that the response of Ag/In₂O₃（2.5 wt%） sensor to 5 ppm H₂S ha...     

Simple self-assembly of 3D laminated CuO/SnO2 hybrid for the detection of triethylamine

Tin dioxide is important gas sensor material and has wide applications in the detection of toxic gases and volatile organic compounds. Here, we synthesized a 3D laminated structural CuO/SnO₂ material possessing p-n heterostructures. The morphology and structure were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS techniques and the sensing properties were investigated for the detection of triethylamine (TEA). The results indicate that 3D laminated CuO/SnO₂ material, assembled by lamellae consisting of ordered nanoparticles, exhibit an enhanced sensing performance compared with SnO₂, and notably, CuO/SnO₂ with size less than 1 μm has obvious high selectivity in the detection of 100 ppm TEA. Particularly, it has a high response and stability to 1 and 5 ppm TEA (S is 8 and 33), and that is higher than SnO₂ material, suggesting 3D laminated CuO/SnO₂ is an effective candidate material served as sensor platform to detect low-concentration amines.     

Polymer/Ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposite platelets as superior sensing materials for gas detection with surface acoustic wave devices

We have prepared nanocomposites of polymers and platelet CMK-5-like carbon and have demonstrated their superior performance for gravimetric gas detection. The zirconium-containing platelet SBA-15 was used as hard template to prepare CMK-5-like carbon, which was then applied as a lightweight and high-surface-area scaffold for the growth of polymers by radical polymerization. Mesoporous nanocomposites composed of four different polymers were used as sensing materials for surface acoustic wave devices to detect ppm-level ammonia gas. The sensors showed much better sensitivity and reversibility than those coated with dense polymer films, and the sensor array could still generate a characteristic pattern for the analyte with a concentration of 16 ppm. The results show that the nanocomposite sensing materials are promising for highly sensitive gravimetric-type electronic nose applications.     

Rational construction and triethylamine sensing performance of foam shaped α-MoO3@SnS2 nanosheets

Owing to their high surface area, stable structure and easy fabrication, composite nanomaterials with encapsulation structures have attracted considerable research interest as sensing materials to detect volatile organic compounds. Herein, a hydrothermal route is designed to prepare foam shaped α-MoO₃@SnS₂ nanosheets that exhibit excellent sensing performance for triethylamine（TEA）. The developed sensor,based on α-MoO₃@SnS₂ nanosheets, displays a high ...     

Metal-organic frameworks-derived hierarchical ZnO structures as efficient sensing materials for formaldehyde detection

Semiconducting metal oxides have been considered as effective approach for designing high-performance chemical sensing materials. In this paper, a kind of metal-organic frameworks ZIF-8 was used as sacrificed template to prepare porous ZnO hollow nanocubes for the application in gas sensing. It is found that changing calcination temperature and solvent can greatly influence the morphology of the material, which finally affects the gas sensing performance. Acetylene-sensing properties of the sensors were investigated in detail. It can be clearly seen that the material used methanol as reaction solvent with the decomposition at 350 °C for 2 h (ZnO-350-M) showed the optimal formaldehyde-sensing behaviors compared with other materials prepared in this experiment. The dynamic transients of the ZnO-350-M-based sensors demonstrated a high response value (about 10), fast response and recovery rate (4 s and 4 s, respectively) and good selectivity towards 100 ppm (part per million) formaldehyde as well as a low detectable limit (1 ppm). As exemplified for the sensing investigation towards formaldehyde, the porous ZnO hollow nanocubes showed a significantly improved chemical sensitivity due to the highly synergistic effects from the well exposed surfaces, defect states and the robust ZnO.     

纳米结构CuO为敏感电极的阻抗谱型NO2传感器

以浸渍技术制备的纳米CuO颗粒作敏感电极,以YSZ作为固体电解质制备了阻抗谱型NO2传感器。采用XRD、SEM对NO2传感器敏感材料的相组成和微观形貌进行了表征,应用电化学工作站测试了传感器的敏感性能。结果表明:浸渍法制得的CuO颗粒均匀分布在电解质的多孔层内,粒径在200 nm左右。在450～550℃,传感器对NO2有良好的敏感性,在0.1 Hz总阻抗|Z|=(Z′2+Z″2)～(1/2)姨与NO2浓度(0～200 mL.m-3)呈良好的线性关系。传感器的固有响应时间为50 s,共存的O2和CO2气体对传感器敏感性能几乎没有影响。     

Hydrothermal synthesis of one-dimensional α-MoO3 nanomaterials and its unique sensing mechanism for ethanol

In gas sensor applications, the availability of highly sensitive and rapid response/recovery detector for ethanol gas is sparse. One-dimensional orthogonal crystalline molybdenum trioxide nanomaterials were synthesized by an economical and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the structure and morphology of the nanometer materials. The relevant characterization shows that nanobelts are highly crystalline layered structures with a width of about 200 nm and a length of a few micrometers. The synthesized ethanol gas sensors based on α-MoO₃ semiconductor material show the highest response at 350 °C. Gas sensitivity tests indicated that α-MoO₃ nanobelts respond well to 50 ～ 600 ppm ethanol at optimal operating temperatures. The selectivity test among various reducing gases shows that the sensor responds better to ethanol compared to other gases such as xylene, NO₂, CO, and H₂ gases. This excellent sensing performance is attributed to the unique sensing mechanism formed in the layered MoO₃ nanobelts through the catalytic reaction between ethanol and MoO₃ lattice oxygen and adsorbed oxygen. The sensing mechanism of the co-catalytic effect of lattice oxygen and adsorbed oxygen on ethanol is also discussed in depth.     

A facile construction of heterostructured ZnO/Co_3O_4 mesoporous spheres and superior acetone sensing performance

The rapid development of internet and internet of things brings new opportunities for the expansion of intelligent sensors,and acetone as a major disease detection indicator(i.e.,diabetes) making it become extremely important clinical indicator.Herein,uniform mesoporous ZnO spheres were successfully synthesized via novel formaldehyde-assisted metal-ligand crosslinking strategy.In order to adjust the pore structure of mesoporous ZnO,various mesoporous ZnO spheres were synthesized by changing weight percentage of Zn(NO_3)_2·6 H_2 O to tannic acid(TA).Moreover,highly active heterojunction mesoporous ZnO/Co_3 O_4 has been fabricated based on as-prepared ultra-small Co_3 O_4 nanocrystals(ca.3 nm) and mesoporous ZnO spheres by flexible impregnation technique.Profit from nano-size effect and synergistic effect of p-n heterojunction,mesoporous ZnO/Co_3 O_4 exhibited excellent acetone sensing performance with high selectivity,superior sensitivity and responsiveness.Typically,5 wt% Co_3 O_4 embedded mesoporous ZnO sphere showed prominent acetone response(ca.46 for 50 ppm),which was about 11.5 times higher than that in pure ZnO sensing device,and it was also endowed high cyclic stability.The nanocrystals embedded hybrid material is expected to be used as promising efficient material in the field of catalysis and gas sensing.     

Highly sensitive and selective room temperature NH3 gas microsensor using an ionic conductor (CuBr) film

A new ammonia gas microsensor was developed, based on the large resistance change of an ionic conductor (CuBr) film when exposed to low NH₃ concentrations. The detection is based on specific interactions between ammonia molecules contained in the gas atmosphere and mobile copper ions in the copper(I) bromide layer. The sensor is operating at ambient temperature and allows highly sensitive and specific ammonia detection. The sensor works at ammonia concentrations between 1 and 500 ppm. There are no significant cross-effects to acetylene and carbon monoxide and only a weak cross-sensitivity to hydrogen sulfide gas (200 ppm). The selectivity was experimentally compared with commercial tin dioxide sensors (TGS 826). The sensor fabrication is a simple process, allowing low cost device production.     

基于低温等离子体辅助催化发光的乙烯传感器

将等离子体的高活化性能与催化发光的传感特性相结合,以成本低、合成简单的碱土金属纳米MgO为传感材料,构建了基于低温等离子体辅助的催化发光传感器,用于乙烯的快速检测.由于等离子体具有高活化性能,本方法的检测温度远低于传统的催化发光检测法的常用温度(300~500℃),无需加热装置,在室温下实现了对乙烯快速、灵敏的检测.室温(25℃)下,对乙烯的检出限为37 ng/mL (30 ppm),线性范围为112~4997 ng/mL (90~3998 ppm, R=0.97669),传感器具有良好的选择性和重现性.此传感器制备简单、稳定性高、低能耗、成本低,与传统的气体检测方法相比具有良好的实用性和普适性,为开发性能优异的新型催化发光传感器提供了策略.     

平面型乙醇快速响应气敏传感器的制备

采用水热法合成了纳米In₂O₃颗粒,将其旋涂于陶瓷基片上经氮化处理获得InN基片,再对InN基片进行氧化,合成出气敏材料并在一种微型平面电极片上制备了传感器件.采用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、X射线衍射（XRD）仪、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）等手段对材料的形貌、组成进行了表征与分析,结果表明,最终获得了松枝状结构的InN-In₂O₃纳米复合材料.对器件的气敏性能进行了测试,发现基于此材料制备的平面型气敏传感器对乙醇气体具有良好的气敏性能：检测浓度为1.025 mg/m³（500 ppb）的乙醇蒸汽的灵敏度可达18;检测2.05 mg/m³（1 ppm）的乙醇的响应-恢复时间最快仅为1 s;最佳工作温度低,仅为50℃.     

Ethanol Gas Sensor Based on γ-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles Working at Room Temperature with High Sensitivity

Improving the sensing sensitivity and lowering the working temperature are the critical issues for the practical application of gas sensors. For a gas sensor, the sensing materials play important roles in determining the sensing properties. In the present work, γ-Fe₂O₃ microspheres composed of nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by a typical facile hydrothermal process and a following annealing treatment. Interestingly, the as-synthesized γ-Fe₂O₃ microspheres showed excellent sensing properties for the detection of ethanol gas with high sensitivity, and especially working temperature as low as room temperature. The gas sensing results showed that at the optimal operating temperature (200 °C), the response intensity of γ-Fe₂O₃ microspheres for 1000 ppm ethanol gas could reach 74.6 and the limit of detection (LOD) was about 0.026 ppm. At room temperature, the γ-Fe₂O₃ microspheres still demonstrated a good response to different concentrations of ethanol gas from 1 to 1000 ppm, with a very good selectivity over other gas species and a good stability. This study indicated that the γ-Fe₂O₃ phase could be a type of promising room-temperature gas sensing material for ethanol gas detection.     

A high-sensitivity H2S gas sensor based on optimized ZnO-ZnS nano-heterojunction sensing material

This paper reports a high-performance H₂S gas sensing material that is made of ZnO nanowires (NWs) modified by an optimal amount of ZnS to form nano-heterojunctions. Compared with the intrinsic ZnO-NWs, the three differently modified nano-heterostructure material ZnO-ZnS-x (x = 5, 10, 15) shows significant improvement in sensing performance to H₂S at the working temperatures of 100−400 °C, especially in the low temperature range (<300 °C). The chemiresistive sensor with ZnO-ZnS-10 sensing-material exhibits the largest response signal to H₂S among all the other ZnO-ZnS-x (x = 5, 10, 15, 20) sensors. Its response signal to 5 ppm H₂S at 150 °C is about 2.7 times to that of the ZnO-NWs sensor. Besides, the ZnO-ZnS-10 sensor also features satisfactory selectivity and repeatability at 150 °C. With the technical advantage attributed to the reduction of the redesigned band gap at the interface between ZnO and ZnS, the ZnO-ZnS heterostructure sensor rather than the traditional ZnO-NWs sensor can be used for high-sensitivity application at low working temperature.     

Oximation reaction induced reduced graphene oxide gas sensor for formaldehyde detection

High-performance gas sensors can offer great potentials for monitoring and detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in both domestic and industrial environment. In the present work, a new HCHO gas sensor was constructed with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) induced by the oximation reaction. The gas-sensing performance test results suggested that the RGO hydroxylamine hydrochloride (RGO/HA-HCl) sensor presented a high response of 75% at 16 ppm HCHO at room temperature, and a high selectivity for HCHO suffering little interference with high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, including methanol, ethanol, and methylbenzene, dichloromethane and water. Additionally, the RGO/HA-HCl sensor also showed a good long-term stability with RSD of 5.83% for a 15-day continuous sensing test, and the detection limit (DL) could reach 0.023 ppm under ambient conditions. Moreover, the mechanism for the high sensitivity and selectivity of formaldehyde was further established by in-situ gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This work would provide a reliable new HCHO gas sensor which could be used for monitoring and forewarning the emission of HCHO for a better protection and improvement of our environment.