In-situ one-step method for fabricating three-dimensional grass-like carbon-doped ZrO2 films for room temperature alcohol and acetone sensors

Abstract Carbon-doped ZrO 2 film with three-dimensional (3D) grass-like architecture was fabricated directly on interdigitated electrodes via one-step electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) using zirconatrane precursor without any additional carbon source and template. A one-step synthetic route was presented in which no additional film fabrication steps were required. The mesoporous micrograss structure comprised numerous interconnected nanoleaves. The synergistic combination of the unique morphology and carbon doping can offer superior room-temperature gas sensing activity for detecting alcohol and acetone. The sensitivity of the devices to methanol, ethanol, n -propanol and acetone was also tested. The gas sensing test results showed that the 3D hierarchical carbon-doped ZrO 2 based sensor exhibited excellent gas sensing performance at room temperature in terms of high response, short response/recovery times, good repeatability, long-term stability and superior selectivity to acetone, and has much higher response in comparison with the ZrO 2 sensor derived from commercial starting material.

[1]  I. Djerdj,et al.  Novel Mixed Phase SnO2 Nanorods Assembled with SnO2 Nanocrystals for Enhancing Gas-Sensing Performance toward Isopropanol Gas , 2014 .

[2]  Zhenyu Zhu,et al.  One-pot synthesis of 3D hierarchical SnO2 nanostructures and their application for gas sensor , 2015 .

[3]  Yuehuan Li,et al.  One-pot synthesis of La-doped SnO2 layered nanoarrays with an enhanced gas-sensing performance toward acetone , 2016 .

[4]  B. Xiao,et al.  Facile fabrication and enhanced gas sensing properties of In2O3 nanoparticles , 2014 .

[5]  A. Umarji,et al.  Analyzing the kinetic response of tin oxide-carbon and tin oxide-CNT composites gas sensors for alcohols detection , 2015 .

[6]  Rafiuddin,et al.  Development of ZnO and ZrO2 nanoparticles: Their photocatalytic and bactericidal activity , 2015 .

[7]  Chao Zhang,et al.  Development of a chemiluminescence ethanol sensor based on nanosized ZrO2. , 2002, The Analyst.

[8]  K. Shimizu,et al.  Hydrogen sensor based on WO3 subnano-clusters and Pt co-loaded on ZrO2 , 2008 .

[9]  B. Ksapabutr,et al.  One-step synthesis of flower-like carbon-doped ZrO2 for visible-light-responsive photocatalyst , 2016 .

[10]  Ho Won Jang,et al.  Vertically ordered hematite nanotube array as an ultrasensitive and rapid response acetone sensor. , 2014, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[11]  Shuanghui Li,et al.  The highly promotive sensing performance of a single cerium doped SnO2 nanobelt sensor to ethanol , 2016 .

[12]  Yuming Chen,et al.  Electrospun nitrogen and carbon co-doped porous TiO2 nanofibers with high visible light photocatalytic activity , 2015 .

[13]  Jianshe Wang,et al.  Highly sensitive and selective acetone sensor based on C-doped WO3 for potential diagnosis of diabetes mellitus , 2014 .

[14]  P. Lai,et al.  Performance Improvements of Metal–Oxide–Nitride–Oxide–Silicon Nonvolatile Memory with ZrO2 Charge-Trapping Layer by Using Nitrogen Incorporation , 2013 .

[15]  Guohong Liu,et al.  A novel gaseous dimethylamine sensor utilizing cataluminescence on zirconia nanoparticles. , 2009, Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence.

[16]  X. Lou,et al.  Two-dimensional nanosheets for photoelectrochemical water splitting: Possibilities and opportunities , 2013 .

[17]  X. Xiong,et al.  A simple route to synthesize hierarchical porous ZrO2 , 2014 .

[18]  Fei Wang,et al.  Nitrogen Doped 3D Titanium Dioxide Nanorods Architecture with Significantly Enhanced Visible Light Photoactivity , 2015 .

[19]  Yongli Li,et al.  Carbon wrapped and doped TiO 2 mesoporous nanostructure with efficient visible-light photocatalysis for NO removal , 2017 .

[20]  P Bhattacharyya,et al.  Hybrid 3D structures of ZnO nanoflowers and PdO nanoparticles as a highly selective methanol sensor. , 2016, The Analyst.

[21]  S. Wongkasemjit,et al.  Controllable deposition of gadolinium doped ceria electrolyte films by magnetic-field-assisted electrostatic spray deposition , 2013 .

[22]  Qingsheng Wu,et al.  Construction of TiO₂ hierarchical nanostructures from nanocrystals and their photocatalytic properties. , 2011, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[23]  Huaihe Song,et al.  Magnetite/graphene nanosheet composites: interfacial interaction and its impact on the durable high-rate performance in lithium-ion batteries , 2011 .

[24]  A. Dent,et al.  Structural Characterization of Alumina-Supported Rh Catalysts: Effects of Ceriation and Zirconiation by using Metal–Organic Precursors , 2013, Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry.

[25]  G. Colón,et al.  Preparation and physicochemical properties of ZrO2 and Fe/ZrO2 prepared by a sol-gel technique , 2001 .

[26]  Yanchun Zhou,et al.  Influence of carbon on phase stability of tetragonal ZrO2 , 2014 .

[27]  K. Choy,et al.  Porosity effect on ZrO2 hollow shells and hydrothermal stability for catalytic steam reforming of methane , 2016 .

[28]  Z. Ye,et al.  Synthesis of ZrO2:Fe nanostructures with visible-light driven H2 evolution activity , 2015 .

[29]  J. Oh,et al.  Low-temperature, solution-processed ZrO2:B thin film: a bifunctional inorganic/organic interfacial glue for flexible thin-film transistors. , 2015, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[30]  Shuji Tanabe,et al.  Adsorption/combustion-type VOC sensors employing mesoporous γ-alumina co-loaded with noble-metal and oxide , 2015 .

[31]  L. Manna,et al.  Direct Synthesis of Carbon-Doped TiO2-Bronze Nanowires as Anode Materials for High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries. , 2015, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[32]  Yuehuan Li,et al.  Well-aligned Nd-doped SnO2 nanorod layered arrays: preparation, characterization and enhanced alcohol-gas sensing performance. , 2016, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[33]  Chang Ming Li,et al.  Architecting smart “umbrella” Bi2S3/rGO-modified TiO2 nanorod array structures at the nanoscale for efficient photoelectrocatalysis under visible light , 2015 .

[34]  Adisorn Tuantranont,et al.  Carbon doped tungsten oxide nanorods NO2 sensor prepared by glancing angle RF sputtering , 2013 .

[35]  N. Chaiyut,et al.  Single-step synthesis process of interconnected spiderweb-like TiO2 films as photoanode for self-powered ultraviolet-detector , 2016 .

[36]  Hexing Li,et al.  Plasmonic silver quantum dots coupled with hierarchical TiO2 nanotube arrays photoelectrodes for efficient visible-light photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[37]  A. Teleki,et al.  Semiconductor gas sensors: dry synthesis and application. , 2010, Angewandte Chemie.

[38]  C. Xie,et al.  Competitive influence of surface area and mesopore size on gas-sensing properties of SnO2 hollow fibers , 2015, Journal of Materials Science.

[39]  F. Prinz,et al.  Nanotubular array solid oxide fuel cell. , 2014, ACS nano.

[40]  Feng Wang,et al.  The role of electronic interaction in the use of Ag and Mn3O4 hybrid nanocrystals covalently coupled with carbon as advanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysts , 2014 .

[41]  Li Li,et al.  Multi-mode photocatalytic degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of honeycomb-like three-dimensionally ordered macroporous composite Ag/ZrO2 , 2016 .

[42]  S. Carvalho,et al.  Chemical and structural characterization of ZrCNAg coatings: XPS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy , 2015 .

[43]  Synthesis and Characterization of CuO Doped ZrO2 Hollow Sphere for Gas Sensing Application , 2016 .

[44]  A. Umar,et al.  Hierarchical SnO₂ nanostructures made of intermingled ultrathin nanosheets for environmental remediation, smart gas sensor, and supercapacitor applications. , 2014, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[45]  X. Liu,et al.  Butane detection: W-doped TiO2 nanoparticles for a butane gas sensor with high sensitivity and fast response/recovery , 2015 .

[46]  Shen-ming Chen,et al.  Direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase immobilized on ZrO2 nanoparticles-decorated reduced graphene oxide sheets for a glucose biosensor , 2014 .

[47]  Sunghoon Park,et al.  Fabrication of WO3 nanotube sensors and their gas sensing properties , 2014 .

[48]  Xiaohong Zhang,et al.  Preparation and characterization of F‐modified C‐TiO2 and its photocatalytic properties , 2015 .

[49]  Shigeaki Zaima,et al.  Stabilized formation of tetragonal ZrO2 thin film with high permittivity , 2014 .

[50]  Sheikh A. Akbar,et al.  Conduction mechanisms in SnO2 single-nanowire gas sensors: An impedance spectroscopy study , 2017 .

[51]  Lianzhou Wang,et al.  Switched photocurrent direction in Au/TiO2 bilayer thin films , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[52]  P. Ghosh,et al.  Highly transparent and conducting C:ZnO thin film for field emission displays , 2014 .

[53]  T. Tachikawa,et al.  Carbon-doped TiO2 photocatalyst synthesized without using an external carbon precursor and the visible light activity , 2009 .

[54]  M. Mokhtar,et al.  Influence of crystal structure of nanosized ZrO2 on photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange , 2015, Nanoscale Research Letters.

[55]  Yuanbing Mao,et al.  Morphology-tunable synthesis of ZnO nanoforest and its photoelectrochemical performance. , 2014, Nanoscale.

[56]  S. Wongkasemjit,et al.  Fabrication of scandium stabilized zirconia thin film by electrostatic spray deposition technique for solid oxide fuel cell electrolyte , 2010 .

[57]  Zhe Zhao,et al.  Enhanced oxygen reduction activity and solid oxide fuel cell performance with a nanoparticles-loaded cathode. , 2015, Nano letters.

[58]  Meng Xu,et al.  Hydrothermal synthesis of WO3·H2O with different nanostructures from 0D to 3D and their gas sensing properties , 2016 .

[59]  S. Behrouz,et al.  Synthesis and characterization of ZrO2 and carbon-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles for photocatalytic application , 2016 .

[60]  M. Fernández-García,et al.  Advanced nanoarchitectures for solar photocatalytic applications. , 2012, Chemical reviews.

[61]  Liyi Shi,et al.  Microwave-hydrothermal synthesis and humidity sensing behavior of ZrO2 nanorods , 2013 .

[62]  Li Liu,et al.  Excellent ethanol sensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotube-doped ZnO , 2014 .

[63]  Yuelin Wang,et al.  Micro/Nano Gas Sensors: A New Strategy Towards In-Situ Wafer-Level Fabrication of High-Performance Gas Sensing Chips , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[64]  E. Djurado,et al.  Nanocrystalline Pt thin films prepared by electrostatic spray deposition for automotive exhaust gas treatment , 2007 .

[65]  Zhenhui He,et al.  Interfacial interaction between ZnO thin film and polyimide substrate investigated by XPS and DFT calculation , 2012 .

[66]  Li Zhang,et al.  Facile fabrication and characterization of multi-type carbon-doped TiO2 for visible light-activated photocatalytic mineralization of gaseous toluene , 2013 .

[67]  Wen Chen,et al.  Synthesis of vanadium pentoxide nanoneedles by physical vapour deposition and their highly sensitive behavior towards acetone at room temperature , 2015 .

[68]  Sarah Kim,et al.  Rapid nanopatterning of zirconium dioxide via nanoprinting and microwave-assisted annealing , 2012 .

[69]  Sichun Zhang,et al.  A catalytic nanomaterial-based optical chemo-sensor array. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[70]  D. Weng,et al.  Soot oxidation over CeO2 and Ag/CeO2: Factors determining the catalyst activity and stability during reaction , 2016 .

[71]  M. Wong,et al.  Identification of active Zr-WO(x) clusters on a ZrO2 support for solid acid catalysts. , 2009, Nature chemistry.

[72]  C. Liu,et al.  Sensing performance and mechanism of Fe-doped ZnO microflowers , 2014 .

[73]  K. Suh,et al.  Carbon-doped ZnO submicron spheres functionalized with carboxylate groups and effect of dispersion stability in the colloidal system for high photocatalytic activity , 2015 .

[74]  Jeeyoung Yoo,et al.  Aqueous zinc ammine complex for solution-processed ZnO semiconductors in thin film transistors , 2014 .

[75]  B. Ksapabutr,et al.  Dense and uniform NiO thin films fabricated by one-step electrostatic spray deposition , 2015 .

[76]  D. Dubal,et al.  Hierarchical 3D-flower-like CuO nanostructure on copper foil for supercapacitors , 2015 .

[77]  Sameer Hussain,et al.  Vapor phase sensing of ammonia at the sub-ppm level using a perylene diimide thin film device , 2015 .

[78]  Joonhee Kang,et al.  Oxygen-Deficient Zirconia (ZrO2−x): A New Material for Solar Light Absorption , 2016, Scientific Reports.