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Selective and rapid detection of acetone using aluminum-doped zno-based sensors

  • Original Paper: Devices based on sol-gel or hybrid materials
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Abstract

We report the preparation and characterization of pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles with 1%, 3%, and 5% aluminum (AZO) using a sol-gel method followed by annealing at 400 °C for 2 h. The structural and morphological properties of the AZO nanoparticles were analyzed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS). Optical and specific area properties were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) and N2 physisorption measurements. The results showed that pure and doped AZO nanoparticles crystallize under a hexagonal wurtzite structure and exhibit spherical shapes with nanometric dimensions. TEM and SEM images revealed that the pure and Al-doped ZnO were round nanoparticles with a size smaller that 100 nm. FTIR measurements were conducted to investigate the presence of Al-O stretching vibrations, which served as an indication of aluminum incorporation into the ZnO lattice. The results confirmed the successful integration of aluminum into the ZnO structure. Additionally, XPS measurements were performed to examine the elemental composition of the AZO samples. The presence of Zn 2p peaks in all AZO samples, along with the presence of Al 2p peaks in the Al-doped ZnO structures, provided further evidence for the successful incorporation of Al ions into the ZnO lattice. The PL spectra revealed the presence of various defects (oxygen vacancies, interstitials) in the structure of pure and doped ZnO. Moreover, we fabricated gas sensors by spray-coating the AZO nanoparticles on alumina substrates equipped with interdigitated gold electrodes. The sensors demonstrated linear responses to gas concentration in the range of 5 to 50 ppm, with high sensitivity and good reproducibility, particularly for A1ZO (1% Al-doped ZnO), which exhibited the highest response (~12) at 300 °C under 10 ppm of acetone. Furthermore, A1ZO demonstrated excellent selectivity to acetone compared to other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gases. Our findings highlight the potential of aluminum-doped ZnO nanoparticles as a promising material for enhancing the sensing properties of acetone gas sensors.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

  • High sensitivity and reproducibility to acetone gas with 1% Aluminium-doped ZnO.

  • Excellent response to acetone at low temperature (300 °C).

  • Remarkable response to low acetone gas concentration.

  • Good selectivity to acetone over other VOCs.

  • Stable response under varying humidity levels.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through a large group Research Project under grant number RGP2/110/44.

Author contributions

MB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft. PR-A: Methodology & Investigation. HD: Methodology, Investigation, Supervision. ME: review & editing. SB: Rietveld refinement. MD: Resources, Methodology. DL: Conceptualization, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition. VM-F: Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing, Resources. LE: Formal analysis, Review & editing, Resources. JPBS: XPS analyses, Review & editing. LEM: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Supervision.

Funding

This work is financially supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (PRF 2019-D4P2), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the Walloon Region of Belgium through the Interreg V France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen program, under PATHACOV project, and the Micro + project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Wallonia, Belgium (No. 675781-642409). In addition, this work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding Contract UIDB/04650/2020. J.P.B.S. also expresses gratitude to FCT for the contract under the Institutional Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus – 2021 Call (CEECINST/00018/2021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Physics of Materials and Nanomaterials Applied at Environment (LaPhyMNE), Faculty of Sciences in Gabes, Gabes University, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia

    Majdi Benamara, Hassen Dahman & Lassaad El Mir

  2. Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain

    Pedro Rivero-Antúnez, Víctor Morales-Flórez & Luis Esquivias

  3. Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Khalid University (KKU), Abha, P.O. Box 9004, Saudi Arabia

    Manel Essid

  4. Laboratoire de la Matière Condensée et des Nanosciences, Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Avenue de l’Environnement Monastir, 5019, Monastir, Tunisia

    Souhir Bouzidi

  5. Service de Sciences des Matériaux, Université de Mons, Rue de l’Epargne 56, 7000, Mons, Belgium

    Marc Debliquy

  6. Materia Nova, Materials R&D Centre, Parc Initialis, Avenue Nicolas Copernic 3, 7000, Mons, Belgium

    Driss Lahem

  7. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla, Centro Mixto CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Víctor Morales-Flórez & Luis Esquivias

  8. Physics Center of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    José P. B. Silva

  9. Laboratory of Physics for Materials and Emergent Technologies, LapMET, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    José P. B. Silva

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  1. Majdi Benamara
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  2. Pedro Rivero-Antúnez
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Correspondence to Majdi Benamara or José P. B. Silva.

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Benamara, M., Rivero-Antúnez, P., Dahman, H. et al. Selective and rapid detection of acetone using aluminum-doped zno-based sensors. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 108, 13–27 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-023-06197-5

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