Abstract

Novel Ag-doped ZnO/CdO ternary heterostructures (AZC composite) were fabricated and characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and etc. The results showed that Ag nanoparticles were attached onto the ZnO/CdO surface and multiple heterojunctions including Ag/ZnO, Ag/CdO Schottky junctions and ZnO/CdO homo-type heterojunction were generated. The formaldehyde (HCHO)-sensing performance of the AZC composites was tested. Compared with the ZnO/CdO composite, the AZC composites demonstrated much higher response and faster response/recovery rate. In particular, the AZC sample with an Ag content of 3.04 wt% (AZC-2) exhibited a high response of 164 to 50 ppm HCHO at 150 °C, a ppb-level detection limit, and acceptable humidity resistance. This work illustrated that Ag nanoparticles is a promising candidate for improving the sensing property of transition metal oxide due to its catalytic sensitization effect and relatively low cost.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call