Abstract
The hydrophobicity and self-cleaning are the important influence factors on the precision and environment resistance of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in detecting organic gas molecules. In this paper, ZnO nanorod array is prepared via the in situ method on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process. ZnO nanorod array film on QCM is modified byβ-CD in hydrothermal process and then decorated by TiO2after being impregnated in P25 suspension. The results show that as-prepared ZnO-TiO2nanocomposite exhibits excellent hydrophobicity for water molecules and superior self-cleaning property for organic molecules under UV irradiation.
Highlights
Based upon piezoelectric effect, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a simple and high-resolution mass sensing technique that monitors small mass changes on an electrode [1]
The QCM coated with the β-cyclodextrin modified ZnO nanorod array films are dipped into the aqueous suspension prepared above at 90∘C for 30 min and withdrawn at a speed of 2 cm/min and dried at room temperature for 24 h; ZnO nanorod array films modified by CD and P25 are obtained
A large number of ZnO nanorods cover the surface of QCM, and the typical hexagonal wurtzite structure appears on the top of each rod
Summary
The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a simple and high-resolution mass sensing technique that monitors small mass changes on an electrode [1]. The measurement precision of QCM is affected by surface roughness and relative wettability [2]. The application of ZnO nanorod array film in QCM is reported less [4, 5]. The rough surface with larger specific surface area can entrap liquids within surface cavities contributing to the precision increase of QCM. When detecting organic gas molecules, the adsorption of water molecules on QCM surface must be avoided. In our previous research work, the anatase TiO2/ZnO nanorod composite film was prepared, which exhibits excellent hydrophobicity and self-cleaning property under UV irradiation [5]. ZnO nanorod array is in situ prepared on the QCM coated Au film, and β-cyclodextrins (β-CD) are introduced in the hydrothermal process. QCM with the β-CD modified ZnO nanorod is impregnated in the suspension of P25 TiO2 powders to obtain excellent photocatalytic activity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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
