Rice Husk Templated Mesoporous ZnO Nanostructures for Ethanol Sensing at Room Temperature

Mesoporous zinc oxide nanostructures are successfully synthesized via the sol-gel route by using a rice husk as the template for ethanol sensing at room temperature. The structure and morphology of the nanostructures are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses. The mechanism for the growth of zinc oxide nanostructures over the biotemplate is proposed. SEM and TEM observations also reveal the formation of spherical zinc oxide nanoparticles over the interwoven fibrous network. Multiple sized pores having pore diameter ranging from 10- 4Ohm is also evidenced from the pore size distribution plot. The larger surface area and porous nature of the material lead to high sensitivity （40.93% for 300 ppm of ethanol）, quick response （42s） and recovery （40 s） towards ethanol at 30014. The porous nature of the interwoven fibre-like network affords mass transportation of ethanol vapor, which results in faster surface accessibility, and hence it acts as a potential candidate for ethanol sensing at room temperature.

Recent advances of emerging tin disulfide for room temperature gas sensing

Effectively monitoring of hazardous gases has become increasingly important for ecological environment and human health.As an emerging component of two-dimensional materials,layered metal dichalcogenides are gaining significant attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties,thus catering well to the gas sensing application.Particularly,tin disulfide(SnS_(2))has been widely examined recently owing to its low-cost,earth-abundant,and environmental friendliness features,which meet the requirements of advanced sensing platforms.Herein,the booming research advancements of SnS_(2)-based gas sensors have been presented.Firstly,the basic attributes of SnS_(2) and its ability to detect various hazardous gases are introduced.Secondly,innovative approaches that have demonstrated the effectiveness of improving the room temperature sensing performance of SnS_(2) are summarized.Finally,the major challenges and future opportunities of SnS_(2) are also outlined.It is ultimately expected that this timely review could offer guidance for designing high-performance gas sensing materials and further push forward their potential applications.

SnO-SnO_(2) modified two-dimensional MXene Ti3C2Tx for acetone gas sensor working at room temperature

Acetone,as widely used reagents in industry and laboratories,are extremely harmful to the human.So the detection of acetone gas concentrations and leaks in special environments at room temperature is essential.Herein,the nanocomposite combining SnO-SnO_(2)(p-n junction)and Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene was successfully synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method.Because of the existence of a small amount of oxygen during the hydrothermal conditions,part of the p-type SnO was oxidized to n-type SnO_(2),forming in-situ p-n junctions on the surface of Sn O.The hamburger-like SnO-SnO_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) sensor exhibited improved acetone gas sensing response of 12.1(R_(g)/R_(a))at room temperature,which were nearly 11 and 4 times higher than those of pristine Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) and pristine SnO-SnO_(2),respectively.Moreover,it expressed a short recovery time(9 s)and outstanding reproducibility.Because of the different work functions,the Schottky barrier was formed between the SnO and the Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) nanosheets,acting as a hole accumulation layer(HALs)between Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) and tin oxides.Herein,the sensing mechanism based on the formation of hetero-junctions and high conductivity of the metallic phase of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene in SnO-SnO_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) sensors was discussed in detail.

Nano-WO_3 film modified macro-porous silicon(MPS) gas sensor

We prepared macro-porous silicon（MPS） by electrochemical corrosion in a double-tank cell on the surface of single-crystalline P-type silicon.Then,nano-WO_3 films were deposited on MPS layers by DC facing target reactive magnetron sputtering.The morphologies of the MPS and WO_3/MPS samples were investigated by using a field emission scanning electron microscope.The crystallization of WO_3 and the valence of the W in the WO_3/MPS sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,respectively. The gas sensing properties of MPS and WO_3/MPS gas sensors were thoroughly measured at room temperature. It can be concluded that：the WO_3/MPS gas sensor shows the gas sensing properties of a P-type semiconductor gas sensor.The WO_3/MPS gas sensor exhibits good recovery characteristics and repeatability to 1 ppm NO_2.The addition of WO_3 can enhance the sensitivity of MPS to NO_2.The long-term stability of a WO_3/MPS gas sensor is better than that of an MPS gas sensor.The sensitivity of the WO_3/MPS gas sensor to NO_2 is higher than that to NH_3 and C_2H_5OH.The selectivity of the MPS to NO_2 is modified by deposited nano-WO_3 film.