Highly selective acetone detection displayed by a surface engineered fiber-like ZnFe2O4 based-sensor following heat-treatment ramping rate variation

Abstract

• Combustion method derived surface engineered fibrous ZnFe 2 O 4 . • Mesoporous fibrous structured ZnFe 2 O 4 products as a platform for Acetone detection at low detection levels. • Highly Acetone responsive and selective sensing layer based on mesoporous fibrous structured ZnFe 2 O 4 . • Improved sensing capabilities owing to optimization of heat-treatment ramping rate. Herein, mesoporous fibrous structured ZnFe 2 O 4 products were used as a platform to explore the relationship between the sensing performance and microstructural behavior induced by the optimization of the heat-treatment ramping rate. The optimized mesoporous fibrous ZnFe 2 O 4 sensor produced by combustion method at a heat-treatment ramping rate of 10°C/min revealed a remarkable selectivity and response of 192 towards 90ppm acetone at a lower working temperature of 120°C. Such excellent sensing capabilities could be due to the large surface area which exposes the surface reaction sites and offer sufficient gas-diffusion across the mesoporous fiber-like assembled sensing-layer based on ZnFe 2 O 4 .