Hollow Fe_(2)O_(3)/Co_(3)O_(4)microcubes derived from metal-organic framework for enhanced sensing performance towards acetone

In this work,hollow Fe_(2)O_(3)/Co_(3)O_(4)microcubes have been successfully synthesized through a hydrothermal method followed by an annealing process using metal-organic framework of Prussian blue as a soft template.The morphologies,microstructures,surface area and element compositions have been carefully characterized by a series of techniques.Meanwhile,compared with that of pure Fe_(2)O_(3)and Co_(3)O_(4),the gas sensor based on the hollow microcubes exhibits enhanced sensing performances towards acetone,e.g.,a higher response of 21.2 and a shorter response time of 5 s towards 20 ppm acetone at a relatively low working temperature of 200℃.Moreover,the hollow microcubes-based gas sensor still shows perfect long-term stability,excellent repeatability and the ability of sub-ppm level detection,which provides a possibility for its application in real life.The enhanced gas sensing performances can be attributed to the hollow structure with a high surface area and the formed p-n heterojunctions within the microcubes.