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Synthesis of Ag@rGO/g-C3N4 Layered Structures and Their Application to Toxic Gas Sensors: Effect of Ag Nanoparticles

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Abstract

In this work, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was synthesized by simple pyrolysis of melamine, and it was hybridized with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using a stepwise solution method. AgNPs were randomly distributed on the surface of rGO/g-C3N4 layered hybrid structure, forming Ag@rGO/g-C3N4 composite. It was disclosed that the Ag@rGO/g-C3N4 composite responded to both oxidizing and reducing gases at room temperature, and its response was greatly enhanced from those of pristine rGO and rGO/g-C3N4. The room temperature responses of the composite were estimated at − 95% and 8% for 50 ppm of NO2 and NH3, respectively. The roles of structural components were discussed, and a gas-sensing mechanism was proposed based on the respective roles. In particular, AgNPs turned out to play an important role in the gas-sensing activity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Gachon University research fund of 2018 (GCU-2018-0311). This work was partly supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2019R1A2C1008746).

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  1. Department of Nano-Physics, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnamdaero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13120, Korea

    Qui Thanh Hoai Ta, Gitae Namgung & Jin-Seo Noh

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  1. Qui Thanh Hoai Ta
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  2. Gitae Namgung
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Correspondence to Jin-Seo Noh.

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Ta, Q.T.H., Namgung, G. & Noh, JS. Synthesis of Ag@rGO/g-C3N4 Layered Structures and Their Application to Toxic Gas Sensors: Effect of Ag Nanoparticles. Electron. Mater. Lett. 15, 750–759 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-019-00175-2

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