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Highly sensitive and fast response acetone gas sensor based on Co3O4–ZnO heterojunction assembled by porous nanoflowers

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Abstract

Acetone is an important raw material for organic synthesis in modern industrial production. However, working in an environment with large acetone concentrations can cause explosive accidents in addition to irreversible damage to the central nervous system. Here, we fabricated a highly sensitive and fast response sensor based on p–n Co3O4–ZnO heterojunctions assembled by porous nanoflowers towards acetone gas through an environmentally friendly hydrothermal method. The 1% Co3O4–ZnO heterojunction has a band gap of 3.1767 eV and is narrower than ZnO with a band gap of 3.209 eV, which promotes electron transition and thus enhances gas-sensitive performance. In addition, the catalysis of Co3O4 reduces the activation energy of the reaction. According to the above advantages, the 1% Co3O4–ZnO heterojunction sensor displays a response as high as 615.5 toward 100 ppm of acetone and is about 16 times higher than that of the ZnO-based sensor. Moreover, long-term stability and good selectivity for various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are achieved as well as the optimal operating temperature drops from 373 to 273 °C compared to ZnO. The scientific findings of this work will provide value for fabricating reliable acetone gas sensors.

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Data availability

Data available on request from the authors. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers 61974057 and 50272026), the Applied Research and Development Project of Gansu Academy of Sciences (Grant Number 2018JK-02), and the Technological Project of Chengguan District of Lanzhou (Grant Number 2019RCCX0007).

Funding

This Study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers 61974057 and 50272026), the Applied Research and Development Project of Gansu Academy of Sciences (Grant Number 2018JK-02), and the Technological Project of Chengguan District of Lanzhou (Grant Number 2019RCCX0007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, South Tianshui Road 222#, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Qionglin Cheng, Xudong Wang, Dandan Huang, Yongchang Wang, Xi Tan, Yawen Chen, Wenjie Wang, Ming Yi & Hairong Li

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  1. Qionglin Cheng
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  2. Xudong Wang
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Contributions

QC: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing - original draft. XW and HL: Methodology, Investigation, Writing - original draft. DH, YW, XT, YC, WW and MY: Writing - review & editing.

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Correspondence to Hairong Li.

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Cheng, Q., Wang, X., Huang, D. et al. Highly sensitive and fast response acetone gas sensor based on Co3O4–ZnO heterojunction assembled by porous nanoflowers. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 128 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09566-y

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