Efficient performance acetone sensor based on squirrel-tail like Ni doped ZnO hierarchical nanostructure

Abstract

Highly sensitive, rapidly responsive and excellently selective sensor towards acetone vapor was developed utilizing open space Ni doped ZnO hierarchical nanostructures. The acetone sensing behavior was examined at different working temperatures and various Ni doping content as the variable. The response (Ra/Rg) to 18,000 ppm acetone was 330 operated at 280 °C with the response and recovery time of ~1 and 298 s, respectively. An excellent selectivity of sensor based on the open space Ni doped hierarchical nanostructure towards acetone vapor compared with other vapors such as ethanol, methanol, 2-propanol and toluene was observed. The high performance of the Ni doped ZnO hierarchical nanostructure based sensors can be explained by a combination of several factors including the high porosity ZnO structure, enhanced oxygen absorption capability after Ni doping and sensing measurement at the optimal working temperature. The acetone sensing mechanism of the Ni doped ZnO sensor is also discussed in detail. The morphology and characteristics of the samples were examined by a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrical measurements.