Construction of bayberry-like Cu2O/CuO and detection of trace Cl2 at low temperature

Abstract

The effective detection of toxic and harmful gases is of great significance for protecting the environment and human health. The construction of heterostructures plays a crucial role in improving gas sensing performance of sensitive materials. In this study, an one-step solvothermal method was used to directly synthesize ∼2 μm bayberry-like Cu2O/CuO. Due to the formation of heterostructures, the gas sensing performance of the material is effectively improved. The optimal sensor based on Cu2O/CuO exhibits good gas sensing performance (S=45) to 10 ppm Cl2 at 50 ℃, with a detection limit as low as 300 ppb (S=1.33), good selectivity and reproducibility. Its excellent gas sensing performance can be attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies in the material and the synergistic effect between Cu2O/CuO heterostructure components. The presence of oxygen vacancies increases the adsorption of oxygen ions on the material surface. The formation of heterostructures not only regulates the electronic structure of CuO, but also provides more adsorption sites for the target gas. Therefore, the bayberry-like Cu2O/CuO material can be used as a candidate sensitive material for low-temperature Cl2 gas detection.