Chemical Sensing Performance of Flower-Like ZnO/PSi Nanostructures via Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Technique

Abstract

ZnO nanostructures were synthesized on porous Si (PSi) structures using a method developed by this study known as electric field-assisted aqueous solution technique. The detailed characterization of this nanostructure was performed using atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, room-temperature photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique was used to detect two classifications of chemical solvents, namely polar and non-polar solvents. Nyquist plots in EIS were utilized to detect chemical solvents (ethanol, acetone, toluene and benzene) exposed to ZnO/PSi nanostructure arrays. The results showed that the grown flower-like ZnO nanostructure arrays served as good chemical sensors with high sensitivity and low power consumption. Meanwhile, the ZnO/PSi nanoflowers exposed to ethanol showed the highest sensitivity (94.6% response) compared to other chemical solutions with the least response exhibited by benzene (68.4% response). It was postulated that the interaction between the solution and oxygen species of ZnO/PSi nanostructure surface induced a resistance change resulting in the release of free electrons that migrated to the conduction band of ZnO/PSi nanoflower structures and reduced the number of surface-adsorbed oxygen species. Subsequently, the changes observed in the Nyquist semicircle diameter and Warburg impedance led to the chemical sensing response.