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Formation of FeVO4/ZnO n–n heterojunction with enhanced sensing properties for ethanol

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Abstract

The n–n heterojunction is formed at the interfaces of FeVO4 and ZnO under hydrothermal conditions to increase the mobility of electrons and to decrease the barrier of oxygen activation. The results from X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirm the co-existence of the FeVO4 and ZnO phases in the composite. The formation of n–n heterojunction and electron transfer behavior are explored by applying electrochemical techniques and corresponding simulation calculation. The FeVO4/ZnO (Fe:Zn = 1:0.5) sensor shows a high response value of Sg = 42 at 300 °C, excellent selectivity, fast response, stable, and superior sensitivity for ethanol detection. The effect of the formed n–n heterojunction on enhancing the gas sensitivity for detecting ethanol is discussed by electron depletion theory. When the gas atmosphere is changed from air to ethanol gas, the depletion layer on the sensor surface is also changed significantly, altering the macroscopic resistance of the material. This work offers a new mechanistic understanding of the role of n–n heterojunction in detecting target gases and paves the way for designing excellent selectivity, fast response, and stable sensors based on n–n heterojunctions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 51772183), the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province (Grant no. 2018ZDCXL-SF-02-04), and the Science and Technology Planning of Guangdong Province (Grant no. 2020B1212060055).

Funding

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, People’s Republic of China

    Yucheng Ou, Jianhong Peng, Jianzhi Gao & Gangqiang Zhu

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Material Research and Development, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, People’s Republic of China

    Runliang Zhu

  3. College of Physics and Electronic Information, Yan’an University, Yan’an, 716000, People’s Republic of China

    Fuchun Zhang

  4. Institut Für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    Mirabbos Hojamberdiev

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  1. Yucheng Ou
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  2. Runliang Zhu
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  3. Jianhong Peng
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  4. Jianzhi Gao
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  5. Fuchun Zhang
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  6. Mirabbos Hojamberdiev
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  7. Gangqiang Zhu
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Contributions

GQZ designed the project; YCO and JHP performed the experiments and data analysis; GQZ, RLZ, and JZG contributed to the theoretical analysis; YCO, GQZ, FCZ, and MH wrote the paper. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

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Correspondence to Gangqiang Zhu.

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Ou, Y., Zhu, R., Peng, J. et al. Formation of FeVO4/ZnO n–n heterojunction with enhanced sensing properties for ethanol. Appl Nanosci 13, 465–474 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-021-01794-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-021-01794-8

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