A sensitive NH3 chemiresistive sensor with wide detection range: employing a MOF-derived mesoporous carbon composite with polyaniline

Abstract

Designing sensing materials with effective porous structure and compositions is a crucial strategy for constructing high-performance gas-sensitive devices. Herein, a dodecahedral mesoporous carbon derived from metal-organic frameworks (CMOF), e.g. Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) derived porous carbon (ZIF-8-C) was prepared, and subsequently, three-dimensional (3D) hollow dodecahedral ZIF-derived carbon-polyaniline (PANI) based (ZCPx, x representing the mass fraction of ZIF-derived carbon) hierarchical hybrid materials were constructed by introducing protonated polyaniline on the surface of MOF carbon via in-situ oxidative polymerization. The MOF-derived structure provides a substantial interface surface area for the hybrid material, enabling rapid adsorption and charge transfer, along with essential structural stability. The 3D hollow ZCP50 hybrid material prepared exhibits a wide detection range (0.1-500 ppm), repeatability, acceptable long-term stability, and an 8.3 times response enhancement versus PANI. The above performance is attributed to the significant synergistic effect between ZIF-8-C and PANI. The unique design of this 3D framework holds promising potential for the commercial application of room-temperature gas sensors.