TY - JOUR
T1 - NiO–ZnO Nanoheterojunction Networks for Room-Temperature Volatile Organic Compounds Sensing
AU - Chen, Hongjun
AU - Bo, Renheng
AU - Shrestha, Aabhash
AU - Xin, Bobo
AU - Nasiri, Noushin
AU - Zhou, Jin
AU - Di Bernardo, Iolanda
AU - Dodd, Aaron
AU - Saunders, Martin
AU - Lipton-Duffin, Josh
AU - White, Thomas
AU - Tsuzuki, Takuya
AU - Tricoli, Antonio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
PY - 2018/11/19
Y1 - 2018/11/19
N2 - Engineering of highly performing nanomaterials, capable of rapid detection of trace concentrations of gas molecules at room temperature, is key to the development of the next generation of miniaturized chemical sensors. Here, a highly performing nanoheterojunctions layout is presented for the rapid room-temperature chemical sensing of volatile organic compounds down to ten particles per billion concentrations. The layout consists of a 3D network of nickel oxide–zinc oxide (NiO–ZnO) p–n semiconductors with grain size of ≈20 nm nanometers and a porosity of ≈98%. Notably, it is observed that the formation of the p–n heterojunctions by decoration of a ZnO nanoparticle networks with NiO increases the sensor response by more than four times while improving the lower limit of detection. Under solar light irradiation, the optimal NiO–ZnO nanoheterojunction networks demonstrate a strong and selective room-temperature response to two important volatile organic compounds utilized for breath analysis, namely acetone and ethanol. Furthermore, these NiO–ZnO nanoheterojunctions show an inverse response to acetone from that observed for all others reducing gas molecules (i.e., ethanol, propane, and ethylbenzene). It is believed that these novel insights of the optoelectrochemical properties of ultraporous nanoheterojunction networks provide guidelines for the future design of low-power solid-state chemical sensors.
AB - Engineering of highly performing nanomaterials, capable of rapid detection of trace concentrations of gas molecules at room temperature, is key to the development of the next generation of miniaturized chemical sensors. Here, a highly performing nanoheterojunctions layout is presented for the rapid room-temperature chemical sensing of volatile organic compounds down to ten particles per billion concentrations. The layout consists of a 3D network of nickel oxide–zinc oxide (NiO–ZnO) p–n semiconductors with grain size of ≈20 nm nanometers and a porosity of ≈98%. Notably, it is observed that the formation of the p–n heterojunctions by decoration of a ZnO nanoparticle networks with NiO increases the sensor response by more than four times while improving the lower limit of detection. Under solar light irradiation, the optimal NiO–ZnO nanoheterojunction networks demonstrate a strong and selective room-temperature response to two important volatile organic compounds utilized for breath analysis, namely acetone and ethanol. Furthermore, these NiO–ZnO nanoheterojunctions show an inverse response to acetone from that observed for all others reducing gas molecules (i.e., ethanol, propane, and ethylbenzene). It is believed that these novel insights of the optoelectrochemical properties of ultraporous nanoheterojunction networks provide guidelines for the future design of low-power solid-state chemical sensors.
KW - chemical sensors
KW - flame synthesis
KW - nanoheterojunctions
KW - room temperature
KW - volatile organic compounds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053388493&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/adom.201800677
DO - 10.1002/adom.201800677
M3 - Article
SN - 2195-1071
VL - 6
JO - Advanced Optical Materials
JF - Advanced Optical Materials
IS - 22
M1 - 1800677
ER -