Enhanced Acetone Gas Sensing Properties of Al-Doped ZnO Thin Films Developed by Sol-Gel Dip Coating Method

Abstract

The acetone sensing capabilities of pure and Al-doped ZnO thin films developed by the sol-gel dip coating technique were examined inthis study. An investigation was conducted to examine the impact of Al doping concentration on the structural, morphological and sensing characteristics of the films. The results showed that acetone gas detection in ZnO thin films might be enhanced by doping with Al. In particular, when exposed to 10 ppm of acetone at room temperature, the response of 3 at% Al-doped ZnO thin film was the highest, achieving 53% and showed a fast response time of 6 s and a recovery time of 32 s. The researchers conducted additional investigations into the selectivity of acetone in the film when exposed to various interfering gases. The results revealed that acetone exhibited a favourable level of selectivity. The results presented herein demonstrate the effectiveness of sol-gel dip-coated thin films of Al-doped ZnO in the context of acetone gas sensing applications.